Fatherhood: Lost and Found
by imgoodbackup
Summary: This is my take on Jason's return and Sam's bio-dad story. Takes place one year after Jason was shot and pushed into the harbor. All history matches the show up until October 18, 2013 when Sam catches Alexis ordering a DNA test to determine if Julian Jerome is her biological father. Features: Jason Morgan, Sam Morgan, Julian Jerome and Alexis Davis with some Silas and Ava as well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This was my entry for Trusted Heart's 2013 Welcome Home Jason Challenge. Thought I'd post it here for anyone that may have missed it there. All history matches the show up until October 18th, 2013 when Sam caught Alexis ordering a DNA test to confirm Julian Jerome as Sam's father. This story begins with Silas and Sam, but they're over by the second chapter. Also, while I actually love some of these characters, I should probably mention this story isn't very nice to Silas, Liz, Carly or AJ.

**Summary:** One of organized crime's best enforcers to ever enter the business was shot in the back and kicked into the Port Charles harbor nearly a year ago. He was quickly presumed dead by authorities. Some might say too quickly and they would be right. Jason Morgan left behind many bereft family members and friends, but none as dear to him as his wife, Sam, and the baby boy he realized almost too late he loved and wanted as his very own. It is now October 18th, 2013 and Jason's family and friends have all moved on in his absence. Sam was their son Daniel's rock during his battle with cancer and has managed to find unexpected attachments to both the donor and doctor who saved him, attachments some might say were dangerous to her heart and maybe even her health... and they would be right. 

Fatherhood: Lost and Found [R]

**1.**

Giddy, like a school girl, that was the only way to describe the feelings coursing through her at the moment or explanation for her actions over the last two weeks toward her son's doctor. She'd never been a school girl, really, but she had been a teen-aged girl and she hadn't remembered feeling or acting this way since then. Of course she'd been giddy before. Her late husband, Jason, had made her so happy at times she felt as though she soared. But she hadn't felt so out of her element, so ill-prepared and yet still so willing to rush into the unknown with her eyes closed since she was a teenager, since she met Nico, and that should have been Samantha Morgan's first clue. But, just like a silly school girl, her happiness and the deep need for more blinded her to better judgment.

"Hello." Her phone rang and she answered it as she continued to eye herself in the mirror, unsure of yet another outfit.

Her half of the bed housed half her closet at this point while Jason's half remained nice and neat. She didn't like to leave her things on Jason's side of the bed. It reminded her of how he used to complain about her leaving her things around all the time and that reminded her of how he'd admitted later to missing them and her when she'd gone and now he was gone, forever. It hurt to remember their love and how much she missed it and feared she'd never have anything close to it again without him, so she did her best to avoid things that triggered those thoughts and that pain.

"Hey. It's me." The deep rasp brought a smile to her face and the thrill of anticipation into her heart as it beat a little faster. It was like the sound of his voice cut off the oxygen to her brain. It made her stop thinking and, as dangerous as it was, she liked not thinking if it meant not hurting anymore.

"Hey, you," She answered back. There she was again, flirting.

He smiled and she could hear it in his voice. "You ready for tonight?"

"I can't wait. You?" She shimmied out of the black dress and flung it on the bed as she reached for the new midnight blue one again for the third time.

It was a chiffon cocktail with a pleated sweetheart neckline. She rarely wore blue and she'd worn it even less since losing Jason. It reminded her of how she'd always loved when he wore blue, because it brought out the color of his eyes. She needed a new dress for her date, though, because she didn't want to wear one she'd worn on a special occasion with Jason which pretty much ruled out every dress she owned. When she'd seen that one in the boutique, she'd loved it and purchased it on the spot before she'd even given its color any thought. But now she had thought about it and she wasn't so sure about wearing it anymore even though she still loved it.

"I just left the hospital. I'm headed to my suite to shower and change. I shouldn't be more than ten minutes behind schedule." He answered hands-free as he drove.

"Oh, well that's no problem. I could just meet you there. I'm almost ready and I've already dropped Danny off at my mom's for the night, so..." Sam slipped the dress over her good lingerie, ignoring thoughts of what it meant that she'd worn her good lingerie tonight, and zipped up as she held the phone to her ear with her shoulder.

No more thinking, she told herself as she turned away from the mirror in the blue dress, because every thought led back to Jason, eventually, and it was torture. Her hair and make-up were both done. All she had to do now was decide on shoes.

"No, this is our second chance at a first official date. I want to do it by the book. I want to pick you up from your home and hold your doors and chair for you." That wasn't all he wanted to hold. Silas Clay could hardly wait to see her again, especially after their last two encounters.

His mind flashed back to the first of those last two encounters when they'd shared more than he'd expected, but not as much as he'd hoped. He had stopped by Harborview Towers with the excuse of checking on his young patient after the boy's homecoming and the fussy toddler had managed to douse his shirt with milk when he threw his sippy cup at him. Sam had offered to wash it for him if he cared to wait and, since he really came to spend more time with mother of his patient anyway, he'd taken her up on it. They'd ended up sharing some wine to celebrate Danny's recovery while waiting and that had led to kissing and almost taking it upstairs until her responsibilities and his had interrupted them.

That encounter had led to their last encounter which had led to their plans for tonight... Sam had dropped by the hospital the next day to deliver the shirt he'd left behind. He'd thanked her for returning it, cleaned and pressed, and offered her a do-over for their last attempt at a night out that had failed. He'd promised to make it interruption-free and she'd accepted with a smile. He hadn't forgotten how she'd told him he might get to take his shirt off again if he was lucky and he hoped like hell tonight was his lucky night.

"Okay, if you're sure." Sam thought it was nice that he wanted everything to be just right.

"I'm sure." He insisted. "So, all night..." He let the sentence trail off, sure she got his meaning.

Sam bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath to quell the nervousness that crept up. "Yep, all night..." She let that sentence trail off, unsure she was ready to talk about it, talking about it lead to thinking.

"Mom wanted some extra time with Danny since Molly's out of town." There, that was truthful... and safe.

When she'd dropped her son off earlier, her mother had told her she better not come back for him until well after his nap time the next day. Alexis intended to make the most of her time with her grandson while his Aunt Molly was away, because, according to her mother, Sam's youngest sister was a baby hog. Sam was sure she'd probably have to pry Danny away from her mom if she tried to get him back before the weekend was up since Molly and Rafe weren't due back until Sunday.

Silas smiled at the reminder. The timing of the school field trip couldn't have worked out better. His nephew, Rafe, had become extremely protective of Sam since she'd taken him in as a foster son and Silas wasn't looking forward to answering to his nephew about his intentions toward Sam. "I'll see you soon."

"Soon," Sam echoed before she heard him hang up and did the same.

_**xxxxx**_

"I can't believe we just did that!" Sam barely managed to keep her laughter in check as they busted out of the main ballroom of the Metro Court Hotel arm in arm.

"What, didn't think I had it in me?" Silas grinned. He'd seen her in just about every state of emotion by now, but happiness was his favorite. He hadn't had a lot of happiness in his life and her smile was radiant and addictive. Every time she smiled, he wanted more.

"I think your toast to the happy couple was my favorite part." She smiled with a shake of her head.

"What can I say? I owed you a wedding reception and I wanted to make it good." He shrugged.

Sam laughed again. It took her about an hour into their date to catch on, but she finally had. "Did you even know anyone in there?"

"Not a single soul." The dark-haired doctor confessed and chuckled at himself and his nerve.

As small as Port Charles was and as long as she'd lived there, Sam couldn't believe she hadn't known anyone either. When he'd picked her up from her place hours ago and taken her to the Metro Court, she'd been surprised to see they were attending another wedding reception after the failure his new-found daughter's had turned out to be. But she had to admit his crazy plan for an interruption-proof night had worked so far. They didn't know a single soul in the room and so there had been no one to interrupt their dinner, dancing and conversation all evening.

She laughed again, softer and more to herself. "I haven't crashed a party just for fun since..."

She stopped herself from finishing that statement. Something about it made her feel guilty, like she was doing something wrong.

"Since when..." He pulled her to him by the hand she held onto and her laughter died on her lips as she looked into his eyes. They were filled with hunger and, whether her mind and heart were on the same page with her or not, there was no denying her body responded to his need with her own.

Her hands rested against the dark dress shirt beneath his suit jacket as he slipped his arms around her petite frame and pulled her closer.

"Since I was a teenager," She admitted.

"That's how you make me feel." Silas told her and it was true. He was horny as hell for her, that much was certain, but she had a way of making him feel inexperienced and off his game as well because she wasn't like other women he'd been with.

"Me too," She told him as she held his gaze.

He kissed her then and she didn't stop him. In fact, it only grew more heated as she lost herself in the moment. She pulled away for air as her brain clouded over in a welcomed haze. The haze was good. It kept her mind too clouded to think.

"I don't think you're going to make it back to your place tonight." He told her and kissed her again before the cloud could lift.

"I thought you wanted to do our first official date by the book." She reminded him as his lips found her neck. First dates were supposed to end with goodnight kisses at the front door.

"Screw that book. Let's write our own." He growled low in her ear then pulled back to search the warmth in her brown eyes in hope of agreement.

She nodded and pulled him toward the waiting elevator.

Silas was more than happy to oblige and pulled her into his arms again as they stepped inside.

"Are you sure?" His finger hovered over the button for the floor of his suite.

Putting the final decision on her was a way of easing his guilt. He knew he should just push the button for the garage instead and let this end before it went too far, but he ignored what he knew. Sam made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time and he wanted more of it. He wanted it for as long as it could last and, in that moment, the consequences just didn't matter.

She _wasn't_ sure, but she didn't want to think about that. She just wanted to feel something other than the hurt and pain she'd felt for so long and it felt good when he kissed her so she kissed him back instead of answering and pushed his hand with hers, forcing his finger to press the button for his suite.

_**xxxxx**_

Ava Jerome collected herself as the elevator doors closed behind the oblivious couple. She walked around the column in the corridor where she'd stood stunned into silence after happening upon her former lover kissing another woman. It was late, well after midnight, and she'd timed her visit in hope of avoiding an uncomfortable confrontation with the hotel's owner, and mother, of the barely legal son she'd recently bedded. She wouldn't have stepped foot in the hotel again at all if she hadn't had urgent business to discuss with her gallery's new client.

Fortunately, she'd known the avant-garde artist had never been much for sleep and figured Franco would be up, probably painting, and she'd been right. What she hadn't known was just how close the father of her child had become with his patient's mother. She was getting tired of standing behind structures listening to Silas pursue a wasted cause. Dr. Silas Clay was not the right man for Samantha Morgan and she'd even gone as far as to risk a sincere warning to the younger woman that she'd live to regret getting involved with him, but apparently the younger woman hadn't listened.

They'd been all over each other and the sight of it broke what was left of Ava's heart. She still loved him and it made her physically ill to see him with someone else. She could have stood in the clear and doubted they'd have noticed her any more than they'd noticed the other guests that had passed them by. A violent wave of jealously coursed through her, begging her darker side to emerge, but she tamped it down.

There were several reasons she couldn't deal with Sam the way she dealt with most threats, but the biggest by far was that Sam happened to be her brother's daughter. Julian Jerome would forgive his baby sister many things, and had, but he would never forgive her for taking out his daughter if he found out and Ava would never risk it, not even for Silas Clay. This was not good, not good at all. Sam had become far too intimate with a man she barely knew and now they were headed upstairs and Ava knew very well the floors above held nothing but rooms full of beds. They were headed to his suite, she was sure, and those kisses she witnessed left no doubt what would happen once they got there.

She had to do something to stop them. The plan her brother had would never stop this in time. She had to come up with a new plan and the only viable one she could think of called for playing their trump card. Julian would be furious with her, but she would just have to make him see reason later. Right now, she had a catastrophe to avert and desperate times called for desperate measures. She hopped the elevator headed down as she worked out the plan on the fly. She needed to work fast if she had any hope of stopping them in time and staying a step ahead of her brother.

_**xxxxx**_

Sam stood frozen, phone still in hand, as she took in the state of her undress and his. What had she done? Oh, God. Could this be happening? Could it be real?

They'd barely made it to his suite before Silas had lost his shirt as she'd told him he might. The actions after that were kind of in a fog, but she remembered her phone ringing as he lowered the zipper on her dress. She'd been working the belt buckle loose on his pants and she'd been so tempted not to stop. She didn't want to stop. She might start thinking again. Don't think, just feel, she'd told herself. But what if the call was about Danny or Rafe? Her little boy had just been released from the hospital days ago and Rafe was traveling. What if Danny had a set back or Rafe had been in an accident like when her sisters had been in that bus crash?

She'd answered just before it could stop ringing and been stopped cold when a voice she didn't recognize told her the one thing she'd lost all hope of ever hearing.

"Your husband is alive, Mrs. Morgan. Tell no one if you want to keep it that way. I'll be in touch and, if you're lucky, you'll be reunited with the man you love today." The caller's words repeated in her head.

Could she trust them? She didn't know, but she couldn't afford not to follow this lead even if it led to more heartbreak. Jason could be alive. Her husband might be _alive_ and, if he was out there, she had to find him!

"Sam," Silas' words broke through her thoughts and she could see the question and concern in his eyes when he looked at her, but she couldn't answer his questions and she couldn't ease his concerns.

_Your husband is alive... Tell no one if you want to keep it that way..._

"Sor, sorry," She apologized as she moved to grab her dress from the floor. She couldn't put it back on fast enough. Thank God she hadn't made it out of her bra and panties yet. Oh, God. Her husband was still alive and she'd almost... She had to get out of there.

"Sam, it's okay. What's wrong?" Silas watched her zip her dress up and slip back into her shoes. "Is it Danny, Rafe?" That was why she'd answered the phone. She'd been afraid one of them might need her.

"No, no. They're fine. It was something else." She placed a hand to the wall to steady herself as she wedged her slightly swollen feet back into her heels one after the other.

"That's it just... something else? That's what has you breaking your neck to get out of here?" Silas wondered what the hell someone could have told her to go from practically ripping his shirt off and throwing him down on his bed to the way she was now racing out of his room like it was on fire. He couldn't think of a thing that could grab her attention more than he just had if it wasn't Danny or Rafe.

"Sorry, it's work. I can't talk about it, confidentiality. I, I gotta go." It was the best explanation she could come up with and as much of one as he would get.

"Sam, wait!" He called after her, but she was already out the door and halfway to the elevator.

"Damn it!" He cursed. This wasn't how their night was supposed to end.

Silas wasn't sure exactly what that phone call was about, but he seriously doubted it was a work emergency. He'd seen Sam's reaction when she got that call. All the blood had drained from her face and he'd worried she might have gone into shock until she started speaking again. He didn't know what was important enough to pull her away from him, but he intended to find out. He was too close to having her, to having happiness, to let it go now.

_**xxxxx**_

Ava watched from a discreet corner as Sam flew out of the hotel lobby and jumped into a waiting taxi. Phase one of her plan was a success. Sam couldn't get away from Silas fast enough. She just hoped they hadn't had time to get too far for her sake and Sam's as well, though she doubted anyone would ever believe it. Everyone always found it so easy to believe the worst of her, she pouted in a fanciful notion. Sure she was greedy and self-centered with a bite far worse than her bark when pushed, but she wasn't totally heartless. Ava knew what it was like to live with betraying the man you loved, even if that betrayal had been unintentional, and she wouldn't wish that hell on anyone. Well at least not her brother's child, that is.

There hadn't been enough time for Ava to make it back to her apartment to make the call using her equipment, but she knew a place close by where she could find it. So, after witnessing Sam and Silas outside the ballroom, she'd taken the elevator down to the third floor and put her lock picking skills to use. She hadn't used them in a while, but it hadn't taken her long to gain access to Derek Wells' office. It was creepy being there all alone in the dark since that woman had been murdered not ten feet from his desk, but Ava pushed all thoughts of that night and Connie Falconeri's ghost aside and set to work at hacking her brother's computer.

She just hoped it didn't take her long and that her brother hadn't installed a new silent alarm since the murder. She would be hard-pressed to explain to security why she was in the media mogul's office after hours considering no one was supposed to know Derek Wells was actually her brother, Julian. Fortunately, Julian's ego and perverse sense of humor were something Ava was all too familiar with so it hadn't taken more than a couple tries to figure his password. It was Julian Jerome spelled backwards.

Once she'd logged in, she ran a search for Sam's number. Luckily, it was listed on her company website for business purposes. Ava then pulled up the special software that modulated her voice so Sam wouldn't recognize her. She recorded her message for Sam and then prepared it for playback over the emergency burner phone Julian kept in his desk drawer. She'd dispose of it after her call to Sam and replace it before Julian ever missed it. That was the plan, at least, and so far everything had gone to plan.

Time for phase two now, time to pay her brother's house guest a little visit and see just what Jason Morgan might be willing to do to make it home before his wife ended up in another man's bed.

_**xxxxx**_

Ava checked her rearview for any signs of a tail as she doubled back through the collection of large estates at the edge of town. She doubted she'd been made by anyone; especially her niece, the private eye, yet. There hadn't been enough time, but Ava had been in the business long enough to know better than to let her guard down.

Finding nothing but darkness trailing behind her, she took a left and followed a winding drive off the main road. Her car slowed to a halt as she reached the gate and held up a New York Public Library card to an intercom box mounted just outside the perimeter. The card was actually a security pass-card in disguise. Only guests used the intercom. Authorized personnel knew the box also housed a hidden proximity reader for encrypted pass-cards, permitting entrance.

She smiled for the hidden cameras as the gate crawled to an open and issued the guards a flirty wink before traveling the rest of the way to the main house. She'd been there many times before, but still couldn't help marvel at its grandeur as she approached. Even at night, with nothing other than spotlights to highlight it, it was magnificent. The mansion and guest house were set on a backdrop of nearly twenty plush acres of picturesque gardens, offering state-of-the art security without sacrifice of luxury or style. It was obvious the previous owner had spared no expense in the rebuild.

Ava was pleased to have use of it now. It was a shame to have such a gem left uninhabited after the deceased owner's assets had been seized and tied up in government red tape. It hadn't been available for public auction due to an unresolved legal claim by the owner's grandson. She still wasn't quite sure just what favors her brother had called in to acquire it, but had to admit it made for the perfect base of operations for the Jerome family.

She grinned, amused with her brother's antics. Again, his ego and perverse sense of humor had been at play in this purchase. To think, the Zacchara mansion had been home to Jason Morgan for the past year since his disappearance and not once had his partner in crime, Sonny Corinthos, suspected a thing. Right in the mob boss's own backyard, now that was really going to sting when he found out.

She parked her car in the circular drive at the front and made her way inside. As expected, Juan was there to greet her the second she stepped foot through the door. "Another late night, Ms. Jerome, may I take your coat?"

"Thank you, Juan." She smiled at the younger dark-haired man as she handed over her coat as expected. She couldn't risk raising suspicions by appearing too rushed. Juan Santiago may dress and act as a harmless butler, but the faint outline of his perfectly fit physique and 9mm under his suit suggested she wasn't the only one leading a double life.

"A sister's work is never done, I'm afraid." She sighed.

"Would you care for anything to eat or to drink while you work, Ms. Jerome?" He accepted her explanation at face value. It wasn't unusual for her to visit at odd hours of the night. In fact, it was more typical than not since her association to Julian Jerome and his business still called for the upmost discretion.

"Please, Juan, you know that it's Ava to you and no, thank you, but I will need to speak with our guest. Will you see to it he's brought to the study as soon as possible?" She ordered as if it was nothing at all unordinary.

Juan thought the request a tad unusual, but she was his boss too and it wasn't as if Ms. Jerome didn't hold proper clearance so he nodded in compliance. "Is there a problem in which I may be of assistance?"

"Actually, yes," Ava replied. "I have some unfortunate news for our guest. His son's body has rejected the donor marrow. It's unlikely he'll survive the night. My brother, as you can imagine, couldn't help be affected by this news and has arranged for a special pass for Mr. Morgan to say goodbye to his little boy. Julian is at Mrs. Morgan's side now, offering what comfort he can and has asked me to have you accompany us to the hospital where we'll meet with the rest of the team to ensure our guest remains unidentified and safe in our company."

It was highly irregular. Mr. Morgan had never been permitted to leave the premises since his arrival, but it also fell in line with what he knew of his boss and their guest. Juan had been briefed of the health crisis Mr. Morgan's infant son faced as it posed an increased risk of attempted escape by their ward. He'd also been informed by Mr. Jerome himself that Mr. Morgan was to be treated with respect at all times and allowed access to any news of his wife and son.

His boss had taken a liking to Mr. Morgan and even shared classified information with him in recent weeks which was something, to his knowledge, Mr. Jerome had never done before so, all in all, the order made sense. He couldn't see Mr. Jerome denying Mr. Morgan a chance to see his son one last time before the boy died and it sounded as if all security precautions had been made. After all, he'd been the one assigned to escort Mr. Morgan to the mansion in the first place as well as charged with his care since. It seemed logical Mr. Jerome would have him escort Mr. Morgan now.

"I'll see he joins you shortly." He replied before heading upstairs to the locked wing that housed their guest.

Ava nodded and continued down the hall to the study. So far, so good, she breathed. She only hoped Juan wouldn't run the order by their head of security or call her brother himself for verification. Her story was sound and she'd never given the men any reason to mistrust her, but she wasn't in the clear yet. They still had to make it off the grounds.

She poured herself a finger of scotch while she waited and turned from the bar, drink in hand, a few moments later to the sound of the doors opening. She eyed the man before her with guarded appreciation. At nearly six feet in height with the body of a championship fighter and poise of a predator, he was no doubt lethal. Blonds had never really been her type, but she found the masculinity he exuded quite intoxicating and his face wasn't half bad either.

"You're looking rather bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for this hour of the morning, Mr. Morgan." She cooed. "Care for a drink?"

Jason Morgan stood silent. He'd never required much sleep and since his captivity it had become harder to sleep at night, but he wasn't sharing that with her. He was in no mood to play whatever game Ava Jerome had come to play this time. He just wanted her to get to the point of her visit so he could be left in peace, what little peace he'd been able to find without Sam and his son.

"No? I understand, probably not a good idea to mix alcohol with your meds. I must say, you're looking well considering recent reports of your failing health. I heard you were at death's door only a few short weeks ago. But, then again, reports of one's demise are always so greatly exaggerated in this town. Aren't they?" Ava hid her smirk behind the rim of her glass as she drank and studied the man for any reaction.

Always so silent, this one, she mused and wondered just how silent he'd be if she shared the scene she'd happened upon with his wife and the good doctor hours ago.

"Was there a point to this visit?" Jason had no patience for this woman. She reminded him of a blonde and blue-eyed version of Claudia Zacchara, the woman who'd ordered a hit on his friend and ended up almost killing his nephew, and he trusted her about as much, too. He had no intentions of discussing his health or anything else with her.

"Leave us, please." She directed her words at Juan who stood sentry at the double doors of the study. "I believe this news calls for a moment of privacy."

Juan, knowing what news was to come, nodded. "I've informed the night watch of the situation. We're good to go whenever you're ready."

"Thank you. We won't be long." The guards on night watch reported to Juan and Juan reported only to her brother, herself and their appointed head of security, Marcus Taggert. That meant she still had a window of two to four hours until Julian or Marcus called in for report. Ava waited for the doors to close then gestured for Jason to take a seat in front of her as she sat in the leather chair behind the oversized executive desk.

Jason sighed and sat. Guest, he scoffed. They made it sound as if he'd ever had a choice to stay or to go. Prisoner was an uglier word, but closer to the truth. He wondered what Ava was up to and hoped she'd make it quick, though he doubted it. He'd had encounters with her before, but she'd never called him in to meet with her at three in the morning. This should be good... or not.

Ava pressed the concealed button just under the desk's edge, triggering a block of audio transmission to the surveillance equipment around the room. It wasn't unusual for Julian to use the feature during some of their more sensitive meetings, but she'd never used it alone with their guest before. She gave the closest camera her most authoritative look, showing she was in full control of the situation and daring anyone to question her actions before proceeding further.

"We don't have much time, so I'll do us both a favor and make this quick. I've come to take you home, today, right now. But I'll need a few assurances from you before I do." She watched him as his mask of indifference slipped a little with the promise of freedom.

"What assurances?" Jason kept his voice neutral and noncommittal. He didn't trust her. There was no way Ava Jerome would do this solely out of the kindness of her heart. She had to be working some personal agenda in which his early return would benefit her, but if it got him back home to his wife and son, he didn't care. He would deal with the repercussions later.

"I set you free now and, in return, you agree not to come after me or my brother later or reveal us to the enemy." She eagerly awaited his response. Since she wasn't able to eliminate Sam by any means necessary, Ava needed Jason alive and she needed him returned to his wife before Silas had his way with her. But she wouldn't risk her life or her brother's to do it.

"What's to stop me from lying and coming after you anyway?" She was too calculating not to have a contingency and he wanted to know what it was so that he'd be prepared if he needed to take her out later.

"Oh, I don't know... gratitude? You know as well as I if any men in the business other than ours had found you floating in Port Charles' harbor last year, you'd have died that night as intended. Bernie called with a life and death situation and you went running in, no backup, leaving not only yourself vulnerable but your wife and son as well." His jaw tightened at that painful yet accurate reminder. He'd been preoccupied and careless that night and it almost cost him his life. It _had_ cost Bernie's and a year of his own he could never get back.

Ava noticed the tension created by her words and softened her tone. She wanted to reason with him, not incite him. "My brother saved your life and now I'm offering to give it back to you, ahead of schedule. Your life for ours, it seems a fair trade considering you would have been lost to your family forever without our help. However, you should know I trust you about as much as you trust me. I'll be watching and, should you decide to change your mind later, I won't hesitate to neutralize any threat to my family." She held his piercing blue gaze with her own.

"Likewise," He glared.

"So do we have a deal?" She held her cool, not wanting to admit just how much his glare intimidated her.

Jason nodded. He would agree to anything to get home to his family, but he still wasn't sure how he intended on handling the Jeromes. He'd have to discuss it with Sam first. This affected her more than anyone could have ever guessed.

"What's your plan? Security is tight." He'd studied and tested for weaknesses since he'd arrived, when able, and found none. He hated to give Marcus Taggert credit. There was still no love between him and the former PCPD detective, but the man had done a thorough job plugging the holes Anthony Zacchara had left in his security setup.

"I've already informed Juan that your son has rejected the donor marrow and isn't likely to survive the night. _Relax_," She assured him as he moved to stand. "Your son is fine. It's a cover to explain why Julian has granted special permission for you to leave the grounds at such an odd hour with little notice."

Jason breathed in relief, but he wouldn't be able to fully relax until he was home and saw for himself that Danny was better. It had been torture not being able to be there for his wife and son when they needed him and he could only imagine how hard it had been on Sam.

"Juan will escort us. I couldn't get around that without raising flags, but I figure it should be easy enough to overtake him somewhere between here and the hospital. I don't want him killed, understood? He's a good man." Ava instructed.

Jason nodded once. "Agreed."

Juan Santiago had been the one to fish him out of the harbor one year ago to the day. He was a far stretch now from the young man Jason's little sister, Emily, had dated. Life had hardened him in many ways, but there was no denying the heart of his biological mother. Juan also had her dark eyes that were just as perceptive. Sonny's first wife, Lily, would be proud of the son she'd been forced to give up for adoption if she'd survived that car bomb. Juan was exceptional at his job and had been as respectful and accommodating toward him as possible, all things considered. Jason wouldn't kill him. He owed him his life.

"Alright then, let's go. We need to move before Julian or Marcus wake and check in with the guards." Ava hit the button returning audio surveillance to the room then stood and motioned for Jason to walk ahead of her as they met up with Juan just outside the doors.

Soon, I'll be home soon Jason told himself and for the first time in a year, he knew it was true and not just something he said to get through another day.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

It was half past six and Sam still hadn't heard from the mystery caller since the first call came through nearly five hours ago. She told herself it didn't mean anything. There could be a number of reasons the caller hadn't made contact again yet and not all of them were bad. She had no idea how far they might have to travel to reach her and maybe it wasn't safe to call again until they did.

She'd wasted no time and done everything she could for now, she reminded herself. This time, at least. But if it was true that Jason was still alive... She couldn't let herself go down that road and think of how much time she'd wasted by not looking for him. She shook the unproductive thoughts from her head and went over the pieces of the puzzle again. That was how cases were solved; studying every known detail until the missing pieces finally filled in, and nothing would stop her from finding her missing piece this time.

According to her phone log, Sam took the call at 1:42 a.m. and she'd been on the phone with her partner, Spinelli, by 1:49 as she descended the hotel elevator for home. Spin had been at the penthouse with her, tracking the lead, since just after two that morning. So far they'd learned that the phone used to make the call was untraceable, probably a disposable that had already been destroyed. They wouldn't have a chance to trace it further until the informant called again.

Fortunately, Spinelli had installed a program on their phones. It automatically recorded all incoming calls and uploaded them to a protected off-site server after Jason went missing for that very reason. The program could be overridden or initiated for outgoing calls as well with a few keystrokes, but its primary function was to record calls to study for clues and use as evidence or leverage when needed. It was a tool her firm, McCall & Jackal PI, had put to good use on several occasions in the last year, but Sam had never been more grateful for her partner's technical savvy than that particular morning.

Further analysis of the call revealed the caller's voice had been altered with a sophisticated voice modulating software Spin was familiar with. Unlike most software of its kind; it required special next-gen hardware to run, hardware used primarily by black ops. Sam wasn't quite sure how Spin knew that and wasn't sure she wanted to know, but he'd said it was also possible to acquire on the black market for the right price.

Sam figured that meant one of two things. Either some undercover governmental agency was behind the call or a wealthy criminal, maybe even one whose voice she would have recognized. But one thing was certain. They'd gone through too much trouble for it to be some kind of prank. At worst, it was a lie generated to suit some unknown endgame that could mean more danger for her family and at best Jason was alive and on his way home to her that very minute. Please, please, please, Sam closed her eyes and prayed. Let it be true. Let him be alive and on his way home to us.

Damian Spinelli paused between rapid screen refreshes of various devices to take note of his friend and business partner. She was quiet and pacing. Sam did that often on the job and usually right before coming up with a breakthrough in their current case, but this was different. It was personal and the pressure to solve this mystery was paralleled only by the case just last year to prove Sam's son was still alive.

That had worked out well for Sam and Jason and he prayed for as favorable an outcome this time as well. He'd seen Sam endure one crisis after another since he'd met her. A few had even broken her, but she'd managed to come back stronger than ever. He'd never told her as much, but he admired her strength above all others, even his Fair Maximista and Stone Cold.

After the year she'd had with losing her husband and almost her son, though, Spin just wasn't sure how much more she could take. In fact when she'd woken him from a fitful sleep hours ago on the one year anniversary of Jason's presumed death, insisting he was still alive, Spinelli had briefly considered maybe the stress had finally pushed her over the edge. He feared it may still, if this new lead turned out to be more false hope.

Spin sighed. His life may be in a shambles right now, but at least he knew his child and the woman, women, he loved (it was complicated) were safe and well. Diane had also given him every reason to have faith his daughter would come home to him and Maxie soon. It was more than Sam had and, though he'd been reluctant to say or do anything that might encourage that false hope, Damian Spinelli had resolved himself to doing everything he could to get to the truth of the caller's claim. If his friend and mentor was still out there alive, Spinelli would leave no stone unturned until he'd brought him home where he belonged.

He wished he could offer his friend more words of comfort, but he'd said all he could think to say to her earlier. He knew words weren't what Sam needed anyway. She needed results and so the sound of furious clicks of the keyboard filled the penthouse once again as Spinelli focused on the task at hand with renewed fervor.

A knock at the door startled him from concentration and stopped Sam cold in her tracks. A look of hope passed between them before Sam rushed the door with Spinelli on the edge of his seat. It was way too early for visitors. Jason, could it be Jason at their door? She threw it open and found Silas Clay on the other side.

Silas watched the light in Sam's eyes fade upon finding him at her door and swallowed his disappointment. "Sorry. Expecting someone else?"

Sam sighed, her spirit dashed. She felt guilty for _not_ feeling guilty about how little his feelings mattered to her right now. "Silas, I wasn't expecting you so soon. I thought I explained last night..."

"Actually, you didn't, not really." Silas interrupted as he invited himself in.

It was rude to show up so early, especially without calling first, but he'd held out as long as he could. Silas hadn't slept since she left his suite and all he'd done in the hours since was wonder what had taken her away. If he called, she might have told him she was too busy to see him. He didn't want to risk it; so there he was, unannounced and uninvited. He paused just inside the door when he realized they weren't alone.

Sam sighed again. She really didn't have time for an inquisition, but she guessed she owed him a minute after the way she'd bailed on him the night before. She closed the door and turned to the two men in her living room. She noted the way Spin angled his laptop away from the intruder's view.

Intruder, when had she gone to thinking of Silas as an intruder again? She hadn't felt that way about him in weeks. That had been her first impression of the man when her instincts had told her not to trust him. Jason had told her more than once that he trusted her instincts and she should too, but she'd thought they'd been wrong after the way Silas helped Danny so it confused her now to find that initial distrust had kicked in again. Something inside told her not to trust him with her lead about Jason and, from the looks of it, Spinelli felt the same.

It was silly. She was probably reacting out of her guilt and fear, the caller had warned her against telling anyone after all, and Spinelli was surely acting out of his profound sense of loyalty. Sam had no reason to distrust Silas, but, then again, she had no reason to confide in him about her work either. This case was personal, but she'd never taken her job more serious.

"Spin, you remember Danny's doctor, Silas Clay; Silas, my partner and friend, Damian Spinelli." Sam re-introduced.

"Doctor," Spin replied in a less than gracious greeting. He hadn't forgotten how rude Dr. Clay had been with him and everyone else that day at the lake house.

"How's it going Jekyll?" Silas said, not really caring for an answer. His mind was stuck on Sam and the way she'd just reverted his status back to Danny's doctor rather than friend or something more to her. She was distancing, but why?

"It's Jackal." Spin gritted out.

"Right, listen, Sam and I need to talk, alone. So if you could just..." He motioned his hand for Spinelli to wrap it up and move along.

What in the hell, Sam thought? "That won't be necessary, Spin. This won't take long." She cut hard eyes on Silas. She didn't appreciate him issuing orders in her home. This was not General Hospital.

"No worries, Fair Samantha. I need to check the other computer in Stone Cold's... in the office anyway. But I'll be listening out, in case you need me for anything." Spin narrowed his eyes on the doctor as he pushed his laptop closed and grabbed it and his phone from the table.

He stood from his spot on the sofa and Sam watched as Spin retreated to the downstairs den located off the right of the hall that also led to the kitchen on the left. Jason had converted it into an official home office years ago, but seldom used it other than that time he'd taken over the business from Sonny. He'd almost always worked at the desk in the living room when he was home. Sam had often wondered why, when the office was so nice, but had no way of knowing it was because Jason preferred how the desk in the living room kept him closer to her while he worked.

"That was rude and I don't appreciate it." Sam glared at the man in front of her.

"Oh, you mean like what you did last night?" Silas rebuffed.

Incredulity registered over her features followed by acknowledgment. It was rude of her to bolt the way she had, but it had just been too much in that moment to deal with the possibility of her worlds with Jason and Silas colliding.

"I said I was sorry." She had, hadn't she? "And I explained why I had to go. I understand you being upset with how things ended, but that doesn't give you a right to take it out on Spinelli. I find it odd for you, of all people, to take issue with someone being called away on a work emergency anyway."

She didn't mention how she'd been nothing but understanding when it happened to him the other day, because she didn't want to think about what had almost happened that day or a few hours ago. Sam knew he would get her point regardless of what she hadn't said.

"You're right. I'm sorry for dismissing Spinelli that way, but I'm worried about you." He sighed in frustration. "Look, I saw your face when you got that call, Sam, and that reaction seemed too personal to be about work. What's really going on?"

His voice softened, slightly pleading, as he moved closer. "Let me in. I want to help you." He hadn't missed how Sam had referred to things ending between them last night. He wasn't sure what she meant, but he didn't like the sound of it. Things were far from over between them.

Sam took a deep breath, solidifying her resolve. He may deserve the truth, but he wasn't going to get it today. She didn't like lying to him, but this could be Jason's life on the line. There wasn't any comfort zone she wouldn't push past to see her husband home safe and her family united.

"I don't know what to tell you. Sometimes my work gets a little personal. I would think you could understand that too." She gave him a knowing look and they both knew he had no argument on that front. "I apologize again for running out like that and worrying you, but, as you can see, I'm fine. Spinelli's fine and we have a lot of work to do." She stood to the side, making the view of her front door perfectly visible and accessible to him.

He'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind to miss the brush off she was giving him. She wasn't ready to confide in him about whatever was really going on yet and he feared she'd pull away even more if he pushed, but Silas wasn't giving up. He'd give her a little time then come back to try again. Maybe her wall was up because she felt guilty about showing her real feelings for him in front of others. He was sure he could get through to her once they were alone.

He wished they were alone now. He hadn't been able to stop wanting her since he'd met her and the need was nearly uncontrollable after coming so close to being inside her only hours ago. He stepped closer to her, smoothing his hands over her upper arms as he spoke. He ignored the way she stiffened in his arms. She was just nervous. The feelings they shared were new and intense, but the nerves would pass again soon and give way to their need for each other as they had last night and the time before that when she'd wanted to take him upstairs to her bed.

"I'm sorry for being so abrupt. My social graces leave a lot to be desired, I admit, but I make up for it in other ways. I assure you." He gave her his sexiest grin and when that didn't illicit the reaction he'd hoped, he grew serious again and continued. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I'm here."

Guilt hit hard at those words. Silas had been so supportive when she'd needed someone to lean on and he deserved better from her, but she didn't have anything better to give him at the moment and, if Jason was alive, she wouldn't have anything better to give him ever. She nodded and offered him a soft smile in return, but if he'd known her better he would have known her heart wasn't in that smile and, what's more, that it never really had been, for him.

"I know." She told him.

He left her with a kiss on the cheek. She'd tensed when he came in for the kiss and felt bad that he must have felt it too, but that call had changed everything. She didn't know if anything would ever be the same again and she wouldn't pretend that it could.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Spin shouted from the other room and she couldn't help grin at his remark in spite of its rudeness as he appeared with laptop and phone in hand to set up shop on the coffee table again.

"Sorry, Spin. He had no right to dismiss you like that and I told him so. He apologized, for what it's worth." Sam explained.

"Rest assured, Fair Samantha, you have no cause to apologize for Dr. Clay. His discourtesy is on him and, I must say, comes to no surprise." Sam might have bothered to defend the doctor further only a day ago, but now found she just didn't have it in her. Her thoughts were no longer preoccupied with Silas Clay. The only man on her mind was her husband and how she could bring him home if he was really out there.

Sam resisted the urge to ask if he'd found anything new yet. She knew Spin would tell her the second something showed up, but it was hard not to ask anyway. She ran her fingers through her hair, gripping it in frustration and anxiety and sighed. Spin was busy doing his part. She needed to stay focused on hers.

She walked back over to the dining table where she'd spent many hours of her morning already and sat with her back to the terrace doors as she began going over her old case file once again. It was actually more of a case box than file. She'd filled the first folder long ago and had managed to take up an entire storage box with every bit of information she'd collected since the night Jason disappeared.

She'd kept the box at home rather than locked away at the office. It was too personal and she'd needed it close so she could work on it day and night whenever she wasn't busy caring for Danny. After Jason's disappearance, working on his case or holding Danny in her arms had been the only thing to offer her any real comfort. But she'd put the case to rest after being faced with overwhelming evidence of her husband's death and it had been months since she'd looked at it. She prayed fresh eyes and new hope would help her see something she'd missed before.

_xxxxx_

It had only been an hour when another knock sounded at the door. It was 8 a.m. which was still too early for visitors in Sam's book. It had to be Jason! She jumped from the table nearly knocking over her chair in the process as she ran to the door and pulled it open. Spin watched, again, unable to do anything other than hope beyond hope for his dearest friends' reunion.

"Jason!" She called out in anticipation, but it wasn't him.

"No, Derek," He grinned while eying her curiously, but his smile faltered when he saw her distress. "Hey, you okay?" He was at her side in an instant and couldn't resist placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

Derek Wells or, rather, Julian Jerome had never experienced such an intense desire to protect someone before as he had with Sam and Danny. It was new and overwhelming and... disconcerting. It felt like the feelings he had for them were powerful enough to change him if he let them and he wasn't sure he wanted to change.

He'd grown comfortable with the man he was; the man he had to be. He'd had no choice in that if he wanted to survive the world he lived in and to change... that could risk his life or those he loved. It could also put everything he'd spent the last two decades building in jeopardy as well and things had just become too dangerous to make his self or those he loved that vulnerable now.

He had to stay strong. Even if Alexis and his daughter and grandson could never understand his true motives or forgive him for his lies, he had to stay strong for them now as much as anyone else.

Sam kept her tremulous smile in place and blinked back moisture as she nodded. "I'm sorry, of course. Derek, come in." She welcomed him.

He could see she wasn't alright, but continued without further question in order to give her a minute to regroup. "I'm sorry for just dropping by like this, but your mom mentioned you and Danny usually spend Saturday mornings in followed by an afternoon stroll in the park and I thought, if you were up to it, I'd surprise you both and take you out for breakfast before hitting the park today."

She hadn't shared a Saturday with her son like that since before Danny got sick. It would be nice to get back to their routine and Derek was great with Danny, and her. He'd make for welcomed company. She smiled at his thoughtfulness, even if it was a bit early. Alexis must have also mentioned they were usually up and dressed by now too, because Danny was an early riser. Just like his daddy, Sam mused and sent a silent prayer up that her son wouldn't suffer the same fate as her, that Danny would be able to know the love of his father.

"Danny and I would love that." Sam told him sincerely as she closed the door and turned to follow Derek into the room. "Unfortunately, he isn't here and I'm kind of tied up with a case at the moment."

"Professional Investigator, right? Nothing dangerous, I hope." Julian frowned at the thought of her risking her life for the job. Maybe she was more like him than either father or daughter realized.

"That's right." She answered the first part of his question while evading the rest. She didn't want to lie to Derek any more than she had Silas if she could help it. Confidentiality was a fact of life she'd grown accustomed to in her line of work, but she'd changed since her conning days. Lying now pulled at her conscience in ways it never had before being a mother and finding real love with Jason, especially when it came to friends and family. She still felt horrible for the lies she'd told Jason last year, even though her intentions were good.

"This is my business partner and Danny's godfather, Damian Spinelli." She introduced as Derek made notice of the other man in the room. "Spin, this is Mr. Derek Wells, Danny's donor and newest friend of the family." She gave Derek a warm smile he couldn't help return.

Julian wished she could know who he really was to her. The more he learned of her, the prouder he was to call her his own and the urge to make his role in her life known grew stronger every visit. He wanted everyone, especially Sam, to know how lucky he felt to have her and Danny for family.

"I can't recall if you two have met before." Sam said taking note of the lingering look Derek gave her. It wasn't the first time he'd looked at her that way and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It didn't make her uncomfortable like the lingering looks some men gave her. It actually felt kind of nice, like he was just genuinely happy to be in her presence. Before she could explore the thought further, her focus was drawn to her partner.

Spinelli stood from the sofa and pocketed his phone as he adjusted the strap of his laptop bag over his shoulder. He was prepared to leave, but hadn't mentioned it to her. She wondered if there was a break in the case. Spin saw her eyes searching his, full of hope, and discreetly shook his head, hating the disappointment that fell over her when he did. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Julian, but he decided it may be best to observe the situation more before addressing it so he answered her implied question instead.

"We may have bumped into each other a few times. It is a pretty small town." Julian gave Spin an amiable smile. He knew all about Carly hiring Sam's partner to investigate his relationship with Ava Jerome. He knew all about a lot of things, but he held no ill will toward Spinelli. Julian wouldn't fault the young man for taking care of business and looking out for Sam and Danny along the way.

"Indeed it is. Good to make your acquaintance, Mr. Wells, but I'm afraid I was just on my way out." Spin nodded in greeting to Sam's guest then in farewell to her. He found himself slightly uncomfortable now for investigating the man that saved his godson's life, but a job was a job and he couldn't be too careful when it came to the people in Sam and Danny's circle.

"Please say it isn't on my account. I'd hate to interrupt, especially if you have important business." Julian hadn't intended to intrude though, admittedly, the possibility of having his daughter's undivided attention was hard to resist. It was one of the main reasons he'd visited, to spend some time getting to know Sam and his grandson better.

The other reason had to do with that danger he'd been trying to shield them from. Not only had his sources reported Heather Webber was on the loose again, but Cesar Faison had escaped from the maximum security prison he'd been detained in just hours ago. Julian's head of security had woken him early that morning to brief him of the situation before hopping a jet to Greece. He'd tasked Marcus and a team of men to follow a lead on Faison's whereabouts, but he hadn't heard back yet. In the meantime, Julian intended to find a way to put more men on Sam and Danny.

He'd assigned four of his best to shadow them months ago as a favor and show of good faith to his guest. But, with Heather and Faison free again, the threat level had increased which meant Sam and Danny needed a heavier guard detail until the threats could be eliminated. In order to accomplish that, however, he'd have to make their presence known to Sam. Jason told him Sam was too good not to spot a tail unless they were his best and even then she might still and he'd been right. She'd almost made two of his men on two separate occasions; once at that church and once on Pier 52 the day of Danny's transplant.

"Not at all, I just need to make a trip in to the office to check a few things." Spin answered, pulling Julian from his thoughts.

"No worries, I won't be long and I'll be in touch the second I hear anything." He assured his friend and Sam nodded as she watched him let himself out.

Julian felt the anxiety flowing off of Sam as he stood a few feet from her in her living room. He wanted to comfort her, but found himself at a complete loss of just how to do that without the entire house of cards he'd built crumbling down. He looked around, as if an instruction guide on how to parent 33 years too late might lie around the room someplace. This was his daughter's home, had been her home with Jason and according to Jason she'd told him it was the first place that had ever felt like a real home to her.

A part of him wanted to deny it, deny his daughter's association to anything that might bring her harm which was why he hadn't revealed himself to her and there was no denying her association to Jason Morgan had and would continue to put her and his grandson in harm's way. It was a fact of the life Jason had chosen long ago. But, after speaking with Jason at length and hearing firsthand from Alexis and Sam, there was also no denying Jason's love and commitment to his daughter. Or her commitment to him, he noted, as he watched Sam twist the wedding ring she still wore on her finger and observed the abundance of photos of her husband around the room.

"Listen, maybe I should get going." He'd wanted nothing more than to spend some time alone with her, but guilt began gnawing at him again as he stood in his daughter's home wanting a relationship with her while denying his grandson one with his father. It was probably best to approach her about the guards when she wasn't so tense anyway.

"No!" Sam said. She wasn't ready to be alone. She wasn't ready to face the thoughts that would plague her without someone to distract her. "I mean, I may not have time for breakfast and the park, but... how about coffee?"

He couldn't say no, even though he probably should. "Coffee sounds great."

"Great," She smiled and he was glad he'd said yes if it made her smile. "How do you take it?"

"Strong and black; two sugars," He told her and she grinned.

"Me too," She replied as she headed toward what he assumed was the kitchen and his heart pumped a little faster at finding a little more in common with his baby girl.

His eyes were drawn to the maps and papers sprawled across the dining room table as he looked about. Sam had obviously been hard at work. He walked closer to admire it. It didn't take him long to realize the case she was in the middle of was for her husband, the man he'd kept in hiding for a year now. He was surprised to see it and it saddened him more than he ever thought possible.

By all accounts his daughter had accepted Jason's death, but what he saw on the table before him proved otherwise. It was the one year anniversary, he reminded himself. Maybe this was just her way of coping with the loss. Maybe it was nothing more than reminiscing, but she'd called him Jason when she answered the door. She'd said her husband's name as if she'd expected, not hoped, but _expected_ Jason to be there on the other side. Had she received a lead? Did he have another leak in his organization?

"Here you go." Sam said, entering the dining area with two mugs in hand.

"Careful, it's hot." She warned as he accepted one of the mugs.

"Thanks." Julian attempted to smile, but his thoughts distracted him.

He had to know. He couldn't let it go and he really hoped she would trust him with the truth even though he had no right to it since he hadn't afforded her the same. "Jason is the case you're working on."

The coffee cup hovered at an awkward distance from her lips for a second too long, but she recovered quickly with a tentative sip as if she hadn't just been caught red-handed. He'd said it as a statement, not a question and he was standing right in front of the table with her case spread out clear as day. There was no way he hadn't seen exactly what she was working on. He continued before she could respond with the lie on her tongue.

"You've got a new lead; proof, maybe, that he's alive. That's why you called me Jason when you answered the door. You were expecting him." Julian guessed and held her gaze as her eyes finally met his.

Sam had never had a problem lying if it meant protecting someone she loved, so why was it so hard to look in this man's eyes and lie to him now? Jason's life could be on the line. The safest thing to do may be to lie, but Derek had connections and, as a media mogul, a pulse on pretty much everything that happened in their town and major cities around the world. He also had a jet that might come in handy if forced to resort to her latest idea. She could always use Sonny's or Nikolas' jet, but then she would have to lie or explain and she really didn't want to do either with them and a jet was so much quicker than flying commercial. Every minute wasted lessened the odds of Jason's safe return.

Her mother had told her how she'd admitted to Derek that Sonny was involved in organized crime and that Jason had been his enforcer. Alexis told him weeks ago and he'd never mentioned a word about it as far as she knew. He'd kept her mother's secret and he'd done everything he could to help them since he met them. Maybe it was safe to trust Derek with one more secret and to help her with this too. "Can you keep a secret?"

"As if my life depended on it," He told her in all seriousness.

"What if my life depended on it, or, the one I hope to have anyway?" Sam countered without blinking.

"I promise you whatever you tell me stays between us." There weren't a lot of promises he could make his daughter and keep, but he could and would keep that one.

Sam studied him for a minute and whatever she was looking for in him she must have found. She invited him to sit with her on the sofa and started from the beginning as they finished their coffee. By the time she was done with her story, Julian Jerome was ready to murder someone and a doctor by the name of Silas Clay had jumped to the top of that list. He'd had no idea Sam and Danny's doctor had become so close. They were far too close for any father's liking, but especially considering what he knew.

Thankfully Sam had spared him too many details, but his mind had to work overtime not to fill in the gaps when she'd said she was in that man's hotel room in the pre-dawn hours of the morning at the time of the call. Just the thought of his sister's ex putting the moves on his daughter made him want live up to his reputation as the volatile and ruthless mob boss he'd become in his youth.

There were only two dozen people who knew of his guest and less than a handful who knew of his identity, but he didn't have to guess to know this had his little sister written all over it. She'd always allowed emotion to rule her and, clearly, her jealousy had run amok. Ava wanted to assure Sam's association with Silas Clay came to an abrupt end and what better way to do it than to return the husband she was still in love with. He'd deal with his sister later. Right now, as hard as it was to believe, Ava's attempt to deliver Jason to Sam ahead of schedule wasn't even his biggest concern.

Before he could even attempt to fix that mess, he needed to convince his reckless daughter that the last thing she needed to do was travel to Switzerland for a face to face with Cesar Faison. Faison's escape wasn't public knowledge yet, so Julian couldn't use that argument without lying or explaining things he wasn't prepared to explain. He'd already tried arguing Danny needed her, but she'd said he needed his father too and that dealing with the slime that tried to kill her husband was worth the risk if it gave her a lead that might help bring Jason home. Here he was doing everything he could to keep her out of the fire and she was bound and determined to jump into the frying pan.

Julian had even used her fear to try to persuade her into accepting a private detail of guards for Danny and herself, but she'd declined. He'd hated doing that, but the threat was real. It just wasn't coming from the person she suspected. He'd clenched his jaw and tried to hide his anger when she'd declined his help in favor of Sonny Corinthos'. Sonny's carelessness was part of the reason her family was in danger in the first place.

"Sonny's handling it." She'd said.

Apparently, Sonny had called early that morning and told her there may be a new threat in town and he wanted to take extra safety precautions after what happened to Connie. Sam had agreed to let him put men on her and Danny due to the mysterious phone call, but hadn't told Sonny about it. Sam explained she hadn't wanted to get Sonny's hopes up, but she'd also admitted she wasn't sure how Sonny would handle the news right now.

Alexis had told her about Sonny going off his meds and she didn't want to endanger Jason or Sonny by telling Sonny something that might push him over the edge again. Sam said she'd thought about enlisting Shawn's help, but he worked for Sonny now and she didn't want to put him in the middle by asking him to keep quiet or risk him confiding in Sonny against her wishes.

Julian sighed. He could see there was only one way to keep his stubborn daughter safe from further heartbreak and harm. He had to bring Jason home, today, because if he wasn't home by that evening Sam was determined to go after Faison for answers.

"Of course you can use my jet. Just promise you won't take off without letting me know first. I want to go with you if need be." He had to appease her to buy a little time. He couldn't let Ava deliver Jason. This was on him and he needed to be the one to do right by Sam.

"Thank you, Derek! You don't have to go with me, though. I don't want to inconvenience you any more than..."

"You're not an inconvenience. You're my... you're someone I care about and I want to do everything I can to help make this right." Julian insisted.

He took a deep breath to calm down. She brought out feelings he hadn't allowed himself to feel in years. Certain emotions were liabilities in his line of work. He'd almost confessed she was his daughter. Sam had no idea just how much he could actually do to make it right and he had no idea how he was going to tell her, but he would do it. When faced with no good choices only the lesser of two bad choices, there was no question he'd do anything if it meant keeping her and Danny even marginally safer.

"Thank you. You being here and supporting me means a lot." Sam told him and meant it.

She couldn't explain it, but something about his presence gave her a feeling she hadn't felt in a while. Safe, she felt safe with Derek and she hadn't felt nearly as safe with anyone since losing Jason though her mother came in at a close third. It didn't make sense to her how she could feel this way about someone she hardly knew, but either had the way she'd always felt safe around Jason even when they could barely tolerate one another.

Derek had even offered her and Danny use of his private security. She would have taken him up on it if she hadn't already made arrangements with Sonny. She may have her concerns regarding Sonny's mental health status at the moment, but she trusted Sonny's men because Jason had trusted those men. He'd handpicked and trained most of them himself. They knew her and Danny and they were loyal to Jason and would want to see Jason's family well protected.

Plus, Sonny was in the business and so was the possible threat against them most likely. She hadn't shared that part with Sonny yet, but Sonny would know if any moves were being made on that front whereas Derek couldn't possibly have the same level of immediate access to that information.

"So, no racing off to meet international criminal masterminds without me then, promise?" Julian smirked and she smiled back.

"Promise," She swore.

"Good. Now that that's settled, I've got a little work to do." Julian rose from the sofa and Sam rose with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course, you're probably busy with the paper and..."

"The paper, no, I've got far more important work to do." He paused and looked her in the eye. "I've got to bring Jason home to you." He said and fought like hell not to pull her into a hug when his words caused her to tear up.

"When you say it, I actually believe it's going to happen." Sam blinked back her tears. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want to cry at all. She needed to be strong.

"I know it's hard, but just sit tight for a little while longer. I'm sure you'll be hearing from the caller again very soon. I'm going to go hit up a few contacts. I'll call when I know anything. You do the same okay?"

"Okay," Sam agreed.

She seemed so vulnerable, but so resilient. The combination tore at his heart and made him proud and ashamed at the same time. He was so proud of the woman she was and so ashamed at his part in causing her any pain.

She walked him to the door and pulled him into a hug before he could leave.

"Thank you," She whispered and he closed his eyes and hugged her back. "I'm going to make this right, kiddo. No matter how long it takes, I'm going to find some way to make this right." He promised her.

He was barely old enough to be her father, but it didn't feel condescending when he called her kiddo. It felt... right somehow. It was one more thing she just couldn't explain yet endeared him to her all the same.

"Rain check on the breakfast and stroll in the park?" Sam offered.

A faint smile crossed his lips. "Nothing would make me happier." He replied and then he was out the door.

_xxxxx_

It was 8:45 a.m. and Jason was tired of arguing. It had been five and a half hours since they'd escaped Zacchara's old haunts and he was now seconds from shooting all his "rescuers" in the knee and doing it his way. He'd promised he wouldn't kill Juan. He'd said nothing about knee caps and Ava had been begging for a bullet from him since he met her; maybe not death, but certainly a bullet. He couldn't even begin to tell anyone how his godson had ended up in the mix, but a bullet could only improve Morgan's disposition at this point. Actually, Jason did know. His namesake had been all too happy to fill him in, but Jason just didn't want to think about his godson shacking up with one of Sonny's rivals. He shook his head as the trio continued arguing around him. He goes away for a year and all hell breaks loose.

For once, though, Jason Morgan wasn't concerned about other people's problems. He was concerned with his own. Sam and Danny were not just his top priority, they were his only priority. Morgan was a grown man or so he kept saying. If he insisted on being a part of the plan, so be it. Jason would do what he could to minimize his exposure and worry about the fallout later. Right now, all he wanted was to be home.

Home, he should have been there five hours ago. The Zacchara compound was no more than thirty minutes from his penthouse, but they'd had to make a detour first. That was his first mistake, listening to Ava. She'd insisted they had to stop at her apartment on the way to General Hospital. Jason went along with it, thinking it was a ruse to get Juan someplace where they could incapacitate him and keep him detained until Jason made it home. It seemed a little risky to do it at her place, but Jason figured the last thing she wanted was to get caught so she must have it under control. Juan had fallen for it and even believed Ava when she said she had Jason's disguise inside which would keep him from being recognized at the hospital.

Once inside Ava's apartment, she distracted Juan's attention allowing Jason to get the jump on him. He'd quickly disarmed the younger man and held Juan's gun on him as Ava placed him in handcuffs.

Jason didn't want to know why Ava had a pair of standard issue handcuffs in her bedroom.

Ava had implemented her plan well and Jason had been slightly impressed and then he was reminded why he preferred to work alone. His godson walked in on Ava cuffing Juan to a chair and Jason holding a gun on him. Chaos ensued from there and hadn't stopped since.

Morgan wanted in on whatever they were doing. Jason and Ava didn't want him involved, but he was Sonny and Carly's son so Jason knew arguing with him was a waste of time. Morgan would do what he wanted. Ava hadn't learned that yet, so she'd kept at it. In the middle of all that, Juan's phone rang. They'd all got quiet and had Juan answer.

It was Marcus Taggert, the Jerome organization's head of security. Juan had instructed the guards to forward his call when it came in since he wouldn't be there. They'd put the call on speaker to be sure Juan didn't pass any signals, but Taggert seemed satisfied with what he heard. He then informed Juan that he was on his way to Greece with a team to track Faison. The bastard had escaped Steinmaur Maximum Security and was free to go after anyone in his way and that included Sam and Danny.

That bit of news had Ava questioning her decision to help Jason return. She'd argued they had the perfect opportunity now to go after Faison and the element of surprise as long as he believed Jason was still dead and she was right, but Jason was too close to being home to turn back. If Faison discovered the truth, so be it. Julian would just have to find another way to take him out and if Julian couldn't get it done, Jason would dead or alive.

Jason had finally convinced Ava to stick to her plan and let Morgan play a part despite Juan's warnings. Now the only question was how. It wasn't as easy as just strolling up to his penthouse and knocking on the door. Sam and Danny had some of Julian's best guards watching them. Jason knew this because he'd been the one to handpick them. Those guards were good. They might actually be able to snatch him up before his presence could ever be known and he'd be back at square one. He had to distract the guards and maybe it was best to make his return in a public place with lots of witnesses. He'd wanted it to be a private moment, but the more people who knew he was alive the safer he would be from Julian.

He'd sat there debating the pros and cons of a public versus private reunion as Ava and Morgan argued over a workable plan to distract the guards with Juan's two cents thrown in for good measure. Ultimately, he decided the benefit of a private reunion outweighed the risk Julian posed to him. Jason might be able to keep his resurrection a secret long enough to handle Faison if he made his return known only to Sam and a handful of others and that may give him the chance to end that threat to the people he loved once and for all.

"Private," He told them and they shut up at his comment. Ava and Morgan were in such a heated exchange, they'd forgotten anyone else was in the room and Juan had given up getting a word in edgewise.

"Why?" Ava wanted to know.

"Like you said, less exposure means a better shot at Faison." Jason replied.

Ava grinned, pleased with herself. Jason had listened to her and knew she was right. She loved it when men were forced to recognize she was right. Most in her line of work were always so quick to write her off, because she was a woman and a hot blonde at that. "When and where?"

"My penthouse and the sooner the better, we need to move now if we want to keep this contained and stay a step ahead." Jason held her gaze until she nodded and looked to his godson and waited for his agreement too.

Morgan nodded. He was in. He was angry at Jason, but not as angry as he was with his parents and his brother. He'd missed his uncle. He was glad Jason was alive and wanted to help him any way he could. He also wanted to show everyone that he could be just as deserving of his family's devotion as his brother, Michael, and keeping his uncle's secret and helping him return to his family was a good start.

"We'll need to draw Sam away." Ava mused.

"So the guards will follow." Juan gathered.

"You told her you'd be in touch. Call her and tell her to meet you some place." Jason offered.

"Kelly's," Morgan suggested. "I could deliver a message to her there. She'd trust what I have to say and the guards wouldn't be suspicious of me approaching Sam."

Jason and Ava considered it and agreed. It was an easy assignment with less risk than others Morgan might come up with. Jason was in the middle of prepping him to make sure he handled himself with care when Ava's phone rang.

"It's him." Ava announced somewhat alarmed. She didn't have to say his name for Jason to know she meant Julian.

"Him who?" Morgan wanted to know.

"A man you'd be smart never to cross." Juan said ignoring the cold stare Jason gave him.

"It's not important." Jason answered his godson in a tone that told him to drop it.

Morgan huffed and shook his head. They were treating him like he was a kid that couldn't handle the truth even when they recognized he was adult enough to help. It was frustrating.

The phone rang again. "Answer it. You already dodged his call earlier. It's probably about Faison. He may come looking for you if you don't answer." Jason told her.

"Good Morning," Ava greeted cheerfully.

"I know what you're up to, Ava, and I can't let you do it." Julian replied on the other end.

Ava swallowed hard. They'd wasted precious time and now Julian was on to her. "Listen, I can..."

"No, you listen! I'll deal with the fact that you went behind my back later. Right now, I need to know where you've taken Juan and our guest. I spoke with the guards. I know they think they're with me." Julian ordered.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you that." Ava replied.

Julian felt his temper boil. His sister could push his buttons like few others. "You win, Ava, okay? I've just spent the last forty five minutes watching my daughter suffer with the possibility that your call may just be false hope; that Jason may never actually come home to her and Danny. I can't let her go through that loss again and you've made it impossible to continue with my current plan unless I do just that so I really don't have any other choice. It's time for Jason Morgan to go home to his family and I need to be the one to make that happen. It needs to be me, Ava. If I hope to have any chance at all left with my daughter, it needs to be me, not you!"

Ava was silent for a long moment as she considered her brothers' words. She wanted to trust him, but Julian could be an exceptional liar when properly motivated and his desire to see his original plan through was definitely more than enough proper motivation.

"I'll discuss it with our guest and get back to you." She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply. Julian would be pissed with her for a good long time after this, but he'd get over it. He always did.

"What was that about?" Morgan wondered.

Ava directed her answer to Jason. "He wants to be the one to hand you over. He says he owes it to Sam to be the one to do it."

"Do you trust him?" Jason had spent quite a bit of time with the man over the last year, enough to draw his own conclusions about him. But he was curious to hear Ava's answer.

She wanted to. "I think he's probably telling the truth, but..."Ava stopped short. It felt wrong discussing her brother with a practical stranger. She'd always had to keep her brother a secret.

"But there's a chance he's working you." Jason finished for her.

Ava's mouth twitched, wanting to agree with him but not wanting to admit it aloud.

"It's too big a risk. He had his chance." Jason concluded.

_xxxxx_

Sam was convinced her heart would beat out of her chest before she ever made it back to the penthouse. She'd received the call from the informant not fifteen minutes after Derek left, telling her to meet at Kelly's Diner in fifteen minutes for answers. Spin had called her as soon as the call ended. He'd been tracking it, but the call was too short to get more than a partial trace. He _was_ able to determine it originated within their area code and that was enough for Sam. Someone with news about Jason was in the immediate area and wanted to meet. It could be a trap, but Kelly's was a busy place and Jason was worth the risk. Still, she'd taken her gun, her knife and a hidden tracking device for Spin to keep tabs on her just in case.

She was confused and distracted when Morgan had approached her table. They'd lost touch over the years after he'd been sent to military school and then went off to college, but it was good to see him. She could hardly believe how much he'd grown since she'd seen him last. She felt bad when she'd tried to give him the brush off. She didn't want to be one more person who never made time for him, but she was about to meet with a potentially very dangerous individual and she didn't want Morgan mixed up in it.

Imagine her surprise when Morgan turned out to be the one she was there to meet. She still didn't know how it all transpired, but somehow Jason had made contact with Morgan and acquired his help. Jason was alive! Morgan had confirmed it not more than ten minutes ago, but she still couldn't believe it. She wouldn't be able to truly believe it until she saw him and felt him for herself.

The elevator doors opened and she was at the door to their penthouse in a flash.

"Jason!?" Sam called out as she let the door slam closed behind her.

"Jason!" She shouted again as she threw her keys on the desk and searched the empty room in vain. Upstairs, the last place she'd seen him was upstairs in their bedroom. That must be where he was waiting for her.

Sam was up the steps before the thought finished in her head, but he wasn't there either. She searched every room, every closet as crazy as it was. Where was he? Morgan told her Jason would be at the penthouse waiting for her by the time she got home! He should be here! Jason should be here!

She rushed back down the stairs as she called out for him again. She hadn't checked all the rooms down there. He wasn't there, not in the kitchen or his office or any other room in their home. Sam was beside herself. She didn't know what to do or who to turn to. She just wanted Jason. She just wanted the man she loved _home_ with her. Doubt and despair began to well up inside her.

What if Morgan was wrong? What if someone had tricked him like Faison had tricked Anna by pretending to be Duke? Oh God, she couldn't handle that. She couldn't go through losing hope of ever holding him again, of him ever holding her again. She needed him. She needed him so much. She needed to feel his arms around her. He was her home and she hadn't been able to feel at home, at peace like that, since she'd lost him.

She pressed her hands over her face and willed herself not to cry, not to lose it, but the tears fell anyway. Jason, her mind and heart called out. Jason, she cried.

A knock at the door startled her and she wiped her face. Her heart beat faster with the hope she'd had the first two times someone had knocked at her door that morning, but she was hesitant to answer now. She couldn't take it if Jason wasn't the one standing on the other side of that door when she opened it this time.

There was another sharp rap on the door. Jason never knocked on their door so she couldn't compare it to anything from memory, but it seemed like how he would knock. God, she was losing it. She was analyzing knocks on the door instead of answering it.

Sam summoned her courage and walked to the door. She was Sam Morgan and she _could_ handle it. She could handle anything. She had to. She was a mother now and she didn't have the luxury of falling apart. She reached out, placing a shaky hand on the knob as she took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

Every dream and prayer she'd ever had in the last year was answered as she laid eyes on him. It was Jason. Jason!

"Sam," His voice broke with emotion. He'd waited for this moment for so long.

She never heard the sob she released. It was drowned out by the pounding of her heart as she threw herself into his arms. "Jason," she cried as she felt herself lifted into his embrace.

He was nearly knocked over by the force of her, but he steadied himself and tightened his hold. He never wanted to let her go again. He buried his face in the angle of her neck and when he inhaled her scent and felt the weight of her in his arms, he knew he was home. She was his home and always would be.

He walked them over the threshold as she clung to him, pushing the door closed with his leg as he made his way further inside. She pulled back slightly to get a better look at him and he allowed her to slide down his body onto her feet, but kept her pulled close.

"It's really you." Sam searched his face as her hands unlocked from around his neck, smoothing over his shoulders and up to his cheeks.

They stood there several moments in silence as they took in every feature of one another's faces. She was more beautiful than he remembered and his heart swelled with love for her as he held her and helped to dry her eyes.

She wasn't aware of the tears streaming down her face until she felt his warm thumbs wiping them away. He was real and he was alive and well and in her arms. "I've missed you so much."

He leaned in at her words, slow and almost hesitant as he held her gaze until she pulled him the rest of the way to her and they kissed. What began as timid and uncertain soon became hungry and urgent as it filled with every bit of passion they'd ever had for one another and more. Her tears continued to fall as his lips moved over hers and salt had never tasted so sweet. They pulled apart to catch their breath and Jason rested his forehead against hers as they continued to hold one another close.

"I've missed you too." He told her and hugged her tight again.

Sam rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes to the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard aside from her baby boy's laughter. Jason's heartbeat thudded against her ear and his scent filled her and finally, in his arms, she was home again.

They moved to the sofa and he pulled her into his lap. Jason hadn't been able to let her go since she ran into his arms and Sam couldn't get close enough. She laid her legs across his lap with one arm over his shoulder as her fingers trailed through the short hair at the back of his neck. Jason kept one arm around her to keep her side flush against him while his other hand rested on her thigh, caressing it.

They sat there that way in total silence for several minutes before Sam asked the question she'd been asking herself since the night he'd disappeared. "Jason, where were you? What happened?"

Jason pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Cesar Faison shot me in the back and dumped me in the harbor. Men from a rival organization found me before I drowned and pulled me out. I was held by them in order to aide in their plan for a takeover."

Sam closed her eyes and sighed. It was so good to hear his voice again. She never thought she would.

"I'm surprised they didn't just kill you." Her face rested against him and her lips rested against the warmth of his neck as he spoke.

"They never intended to kill me. He said he respected me too much. He just wanted me out of the way until he'd made his move and then he intended to let me go. I think, I think he hoped I might come to respect him too and want to join up with his organization." Jason explained.

"You were shot." She murmured against him. "But you seem okay now. Are you okay?" Her head rose to meet his eyes for the answer.

"I'm fine." Jason assured her. He hadn't been and he still wasn't a hundred percent, but he wouldn't worry her with that now. "There was this doctor..."

"Sam, you're not going to believe this, but I left my shirt here... again." The smile fell from his lips as all the color drained from his face. Silas had let himself in, assuming she was alone now.

He'd seen Spinelli speaking with one of the employees in the Metro Court on the way back to his suite after breakfast and figured he'd find Sam alone since she was too busy for company. Claiming he'd left his shirt behind again was just the only lame excuse he could think of to show up again so soon. He figured he'd just say he thought maybe Rafe had borrowed one of his since they both knew he hadn't really left another shirt there any other time. The last thing he'd ever expected was to walk in on her in the arms of her not-so-dead husband.

"You!" Jason growled and Sam felt every muscle in his body tense as he gripped her tighter.

Sam looked from Jason to Silas and back again. "It's not who you think, Jason. I know he looks a lot like John, but..."

Jason stood and placed Sam at his side and just a little behind him in a stance she recognized well. It was protective which meant Jason felt the other man's presence was a threat to her, but why? He'd realized John was no threat to their future together before he disappeared.

"I know exactly who he is." Jason told her. "Don't I, Dr. Clay?"

Sam looked from Jason to Silas in question, "Silas?"

Silas' eyes darted from Jason to Sam. "I can explain."

"I think somebody better. How do you two know each other, Silas? I didn't even meet you until months after Jason disappeared!" Sam had no idea what the hell was going on, but she was about to find out.

She looked to Jason for further explanation, but he just stood there glaring at the man.

She looked back at Silas. "Well?"

Silas Clay swallowed his guilt. Judgment day had arrived. "I'm his doctor."

Page 29 of 29 Created: 2013-11-02 Updated: 2014-02-28 Words: 10670 Characters: 56856


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

Silas Clay swallowed his guilt. Judgment day had arrived. "I'm his doctor."

If he didn't say it, the hitman was sure to and, as bad as it was, it had to be better coming straight from him.

Sam couldn't have possibly heard him right. "What? No, no you mean you're Danny's doctor."

"No, I mean I'm Danny's _and_ Jason's doctor. I'm the one who saved your husband's life. Repeatedly over the last year, I might add." He may have lied, but he was still the good guy in all of this and she needed to recognize that.

Sam heard the words, but she couldn't believe them. It was as if her body had gone too numb to process them and had that been a hint of pride in his voice? "You've... known my husband was alive for a year?"

"No, I didn't even know who my patient was for the first couple weeks and when I found out I had no idea he was your husband." Silas defended.

The numbness ebbed with every word he spoke and heat began to flow in its place. "But you knew he was _somebody's_ husband, right?" Sam countered. "I mean it was front page headlines for weeks. 'Jason Morgan, alleged hitman, presumed dead!' 'Leaves behind mob moll wife and mafia prince.' It made international news and he's still wearing his _wedding ring!_" It was one of the first things she'd noticed and she grabbed at it now and held it up as if she needed proof.

She felt Jason's long fingers curl around hers and give her a little squeeze, letting her know he was there with her as she held them. She squeezed back and held tight. She thought she'd lost him. She'd let herself give in to the lie and this man that had sworn to do no harm had helped foster it with his silence and then used her pain against her. "Don't you _dare_ stand there and tell me you didn't _know!_"

"YES, OKAY!?" Silas shouted at her and Sam's hand instinctively gripped tighter to Jason's as he took a menacing step in the doctor's direction. She didn't just get her husband back to lose him all over again to the PCPD.

"HEY!" Jason barked, demanding the other man's attention. "Watch yourself!" He warned and the doctor checked his tone upon seeing the promise of pain in the hitman's eyes.

"When I recognized him from the news I knew he had a wife and son, but I didn't know it was you, Sam! If I had known..."

"What, you would have _told_ me?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm and growing disdain.

"Yes, no..." He was messing this up. He was supposed to have a couple more months to figure this out. He wasn't prepared to explain himself to her yet, but he had to get her to see his side. "It wasn't like that! Jason, tell her! Tell her I had no choice."

Jason showed Silas the same mercy the doctor had shown him when he'd asked for his help with Sam; none. "You knew I was alive and being held against my will for a year and for a year I asked you to help me get a message to my family and you refused. I guaranteed your safety and you still refused."

Sam's hands moved up to wrap around Jason's arm as she drew herself nearer to him. He could feel her soft thumbs caressing his bicep and see her looking up at him from his peripheral. He turned his head to meet her eyes and felt his anger rise at the pain he saw there.

Silas laughed at his notion of protection. "You couldn't even keep a bullet out of your own back. You think I was going to trust you or Corinthos with mine?"

Jason's fists clenched, itching to pound the man into oblivion. "Your life was never in danger, just your career. You knew that. I also told you I had leverage I was willing to use to get you out from under them." The murder of innocent civilians wasn't how the Jerome organization worked now and Silas knew it.

Silas shook his head. "Like I was supposed to believe you, I saw how desperate you were. You would have said anything to get back to your wife and son."

Sam felt the tears well up at the thought of Jason fighting to get home to her and Danny all that time with no one to help him. _She_ should have helped him, but she'd given in and ignored the part of her heart that had never given up. Holding out hope as the days and weeks passed took so much out of her and Danny needed her. She'd lost four months with him and he deserved all of her. It felt like the right decision at the time, but now... She wasn't sure.

Jason wasn't buying it. "You had a choice to do the right thing and you chose to try and save your career instead." Try being the operative word, but Jason wouldn't tip his hand.

"When?" Sam let go of Jason to confront Silas head on. She just wanted to hear the man admit what he'd done. He'd known her husband was Jason Morgan and all about Jason's alleged mob affiliation for months, because he'd used that against her at the custody hearing for her foster son, Rafe, and yet he'd still tried to get her into bed knowing her husband was alive.

"What?" Silas was too enraged over Jason's words to catch her meaning. His career _was_ his life. Why should he give it up for a man that meant nothing to him? He'd saved his life. That should be enough.

"_When_ did you know I'm Jason's wife?" She seethed.

"Sam..." She had to know he'd known for months and going over it now would not help his case with her. His eyes cut to Jason, wishing his patient's hypotension would kick in and cause another syncopal episode so he'd have a chance to appeal to her better nature.

"WHEN?" Sam shouted!

Silas sighed and committed to getting it all out. He'd tell the truth now and, after Sam had a chance to think about it from his side, she was sure to understand. She had a fierce temper, but she was a forgiving person and one of the least judgmental he'd ever met. "After you told me about my nephew, I felt the least I owed him was to find out what kind of person would be raising him so I did some research that night and that's when I realized who you were."

The air was pulled from her lungs at his confession and Jason placed a comforting hand on her now. Sam knew Silas had known for a while, but it still hurt to hear it. No, hurt wasn't the right word. That implied she had some deeper feeling for him. It was more like a slap in the face from a stranger. At first, the slap stuns you and then, once the shock wears off, you're ready to pounce. "You've known since the day we met?"

Her instincts had been right and she hated him for making her doubt herself. She'd known he was hiding something from the way he'd had such a sudden change of heart regarding Rafe, but she'd let it go. She'd ignored her instincts and this is what it got her.

Silas nodded once. "That's why I fought for Rafe. I knew the people that had Jason planned on returning him at some point and I didn't want my nephew caught up in the mob."

"Really, because it looks to me like you're in it up to your ego." Sam snapped. Jason had told her a rival organization had taken him and that must be who Silas worked for when he wasn't busy alienating the staff and patients around hospitals.

"You and Jason, you chose this life. I had no choice!" Silas shouted in anger and Sam leaned into Jason, fully aware of the soothing effect her touch always had on him. She could feel the tension pouring off of him and knew it wouldn't take much for him to snap on Silas like he had on her former stepfather or Javier Ruiz those times they'd been hostile toward her. Not that she cared if Jason laid his hands on Silas at that point. The man deserved an ass kicking, but she couldn't bear the thought of being separated from Jason for a single minute right now and she didn't put it past Silas to press charges.

"I was young and desperate and I made a bad decision." Silas continued helplessly as the woman he desired stood touching her husband. "I was fresh out of med school with a rack of debt and barely making it. They offered me a way to make some easy cash and before I knew it, there was no going back. These are not the kind of people you want to cross."

"Did Diane know?" She wasn't sure why that question came to her with everything else on her mind, but every since the woman had defended the man who kidnapped her child, betrayed Jason and accused her of being an unfit mother in open court Sam hadn't trusted her further than she could throw her. If Silas had confided about Jason being alive and Diane had kept it from her, she would see that woman buried!

"No, that's my point." Silas gritted out. Why wasn't she getting that he was a victim too? "I was told my life as I knew it would be over if I breathed a word about Jason Morgan being alive to anyone."

"I'm not just _anyone!_ I'm his _wife!_" Sam screamed at him and Jason's calming hand became a restraining one.

"I can't believe..." Sam shook her head as angry tears began to build, but she would not shed a tear for this man, not even in anger. "I was in agony when I thought Jason was gone and Danny might die too! You watched me pray to my _dead_ husband to watch over his psychotic _freak_ of a brother just so Danny would have a chance to live and all that time you _knew!_ All those times you let me cry on your shoulder when it should have been, when it _could have been_ my husband's and you knew Jason was alive and didn't tell me! You knew he could be a possible donor and you said nothing! Danny could have _died_ if it wasn't for Derek!" She was shaking with fury and Jason ran his hand across her shoulders and pulled her to him to soothe her as he felt his own pressure spike at the reminder of their son nearly dying.

"Jason was tested! I tested him myself, Sam! I'd never let anything happen to Danny." Silas insisted.

"Let anything happen... You LET him suffer through cancer without his father there to comfort him! You _let_ Danny spend a year of his life never knowing Jason's love, never getting to share all those firsts, never getting to bond with him!"

Silas sighed. He knew his next words would piss her off and maybe even hurt, but he'd never been a man to let that stop him from speaking his mind. "Since we're being honest here, maybe you should just admit that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Your son lived this time, because of me. Do you really want to risk his life again by going back to the role of dutiful mob wife?"

"You son of a bitch!" Sam snarled and Jason barely had time to grab her shoulders as she lunged forward.

"You need to leave. Now," Jason's tone was lethal and Sam was still fighting to get at him.

"Or what, you'll kill me?" Silas scoffed and shook his head. "This is the thanks I get for saving your life and your son's?" Silas turned his eyes on Sam, ignoring her rage as he attempted to help her see reason once again. "Sam, don't do this. Think about this, okay? I know you're angry right now that I lied and I'm sorry, but don't throw everything we have away."

Sam's struggling stopped cold. "Everything we have? Are you as _insane_ as your brother? _We_ have nothing!" She was two seconds from stomping Jason's insole just so she could get in a good punch.

"We almost made _love!_" At that, Jason let her go. This man knew he was alive and tried to sleep with his grieving wife? He'd let Sam start the beat down and he'd finish it up.

Sam wasn't sure what to make of Jason's reaction when he let her go, but there was no way she would let that ridiculous claim go unchecked. "We almost had _sex!_ I don't love you. I don't _know_ you!"

"You have feelings for me, Sam, and we both know it." Silas wouldn't let her pretend they hadn't shared something.

Sam clenched her jaw and took a deep breath before she spoke again. "What I felt for you was lust and what I thought was the beginning of a real friendship, but a friend wouldn't do what you did to me."

Her voice was calm, eerily calm, and that scared Silas more than her anger. He'd always been able to get a rise out of her, but now it was like he was dead to her.

"I made a mistake." He admitted.

Sam shook her head. He was lying to himself as much as he had to her. "You didn't make a mistake. You made a conscious decision over and over again to allow me to believe my husband was dead and, worse, to prey on my vulnerability in the name of friendship just so you could get me into bed."

Silas couldn't believe she actually believed that. "It wasn't just about the sex, Sam! You're worth so much more than that."

"You're damn right I am and I don't need some sleazy doctor telling me so to know it!"

Silas huffed. "No. Just a cold-blooded killer, right?"

Jason breathed deep for some last remaining vestige of patience. He was ready to let loose on the man for what he'd done to Sam, but she deserved the chance to confront this guy herself and Jason intended to support his wife however she chose to do it so he remained in his place by her side.

"I don't need any man to validate my self-worth and I definitely do not need _you_ to tell _me_ who my husband is or _isn't!_ Now get the hell out and do not _ever_ invite yourself into our home again. I'm having your name added to the building's no admittance list and if you approach me anywhere else, you'll be lucky if all you get out of it is a restraining order." Sam walked around the doctor and pulled the door open wide.

"You can't keep me from my nephew! I have custody, remember?" Silas clung to his last remaining connection with her.

"You'll be lucky if your nephew wants anything to do with you once he realizes what you've done, but I would never keep him from his family." She eyed him pointedly until he had the decency to look shamed. "Rafe is old enough to decide for himself if he still wants a relationship with you, but, either way, I won't have you anywhere near me or Danny again." She wanted to make sure he was crystal clear on that and if Rafe decided not to have anything to do with Silas, she'd support his decision and help him fight the custody ruling.

"How did you get free, huh?" Silas' anger was turned on the person responsible for putting him in his mess in the first place. "It was her wasn't it? There were only a handful of people who knew about you and she's the only one with any reason to bring you back now."

Jason's jaw clenched and he inhaled, again, deeply. He had no particular loyalty to Ava, but he didn't owe any explanations to the man who'd hurt Sam either. "You'd be wise to listen to my wife and get out, while you still can."

Silas noticed Jason's eyes shift to the closet near the stairs. He wondered if that was where the hitman kept his gun and decided it might be a wise time to leave after all. He had a few words for his baby mama anyway.

"Silas," Sam called to him and he turned to her soft voice with hopeful eyes just outside the threshold.

"Yeah?" He never saw that right hook coming as it clocked him in his face. His hand flew to his eye. It was certain to be black and swollen shut by morning.

"Don't let the door hit ya." Sam told him and before he could say another word, she slammed it in his face.

**_xxxxx_**

They were on the sofa again, in a familiar hold, with Sam tucked into Jason's side after he'd insisted on making an ice pack for her hand.

Several minutes had gone by since either of them had spoken. Neither had said much since Sam threw Silas out. It was a lot to take in, for both of them, and they'd been happy just to hold one another as their minds tried to catch up.

"Is your hand okay?" Jason pulled the pack away and took her hand into his for a gentle inspection.

"It's fine. You know I know how to land a punch." She'd missed how attentive he could be with her, but she was more worried at the moment about her husband than her two swollen knuckles.

Silas, if she could believe him, had said he'd saved Jason's life more than once over the past year. Had Jason been sick? Was he still sick?

"I know, but you put a little something extra behind that one." Jason smirk-smiled, remembering the look on the doctor's face.

"He deserved it." Sam told him without a shred of regret. "I considered kneeing him in the groin, but I didn't want him to think he was anything special. Everyone knows I'll slap, punch or pistol-whip just about anyone who pisses me off."

Jason chuckled. It was the first time he'd laughed in a year. "God, I've missed you." He told her as he placed a kiss on her forehead and she smiled.

"I still can't believe this is real. I'm afraid to let go." Sam admitted and held him a little tighter. She closed her eyes with a contented sigh as she felt him tighten his hold on her in return. It was real. He was there. Jason was with her, holding her.

"It's okay. I'm home now and I won't let anyone take me from you or Danny again." Jason assured her. "Is he still sleeping?" He hadn't heard Daniel since he'd arrived and wondered where he was. Jason couldn't wait to see him, to see for himself that his little boy was okay.

"No, he's an early riser like you." Sam murmured against him with a hint of incrimination in her tone and a faint smile found him at the thought. He'd once told Sam he never wanted Jake to be anything like him, but a part of him had always longed for that kind of connection to the son he'd given up. It was too late to have that with Jake now, but losing him and almost losing Sam and Danny had taught him a valuable lesson. He wouldn't waste another chance.

"He's at the lake house." Sam continued as she focused on entwining her barely injured fingers with his. He was thinner now she'd noticed, still tone, but less bulk. He'd lost muscle mass and some of his tan, but his hands were still the same, still strong, and tender.

"Mom wanted a little time with him." While I was on my date, she thought darkly, but pushed the thought from her mind.

"I wasn't supposed to pick him up until this afternoon, but I can't wait for you to see him." She'd dreamed of putting Danny in Jason's arms again so many times and telling him he was his father in every way and not just the ones that counted. She was tempted to tell him now, but she really did want Danny in his arms when she told him. She wanted to see the look on his face when he looked into Danny's eyes for the first time knowing they were his own looking back at him.

"I saw a picture. He's grown so much." Danny was only four months old when Jason went missing. He was sixteen months now. Jason had missed his son's birth and his first birthday, but he'd vowed never to miss another as long as he drew breath.

"You had pictures of us, how?" Sam sat up to see him better now that they were talking.

"The man who had me, he managed to get a recent photograph of you and Danny and shared it with me." Julian had given him a copy of a picture he'd taken of Sam and Danny at the hospital a few weeks prior.

"I hope he didn't use it to torment you. Jason, we're not still in danger from him are we? I should call mom now and have her bring Danny home." Sonny's men were guarding Danny, but still. She had no idea what kind of threat was out there and if she hadn't been so preoccupied with finding Jason she would have had Danny home with her the minute she got that call.

She moved to reach for her cell in her back pocket, but Jason stilled her hands before she could dial. The Jerome organization posed no threat to his family now, at least not directly, and Jason knew that thanks to a message Julian had delivered from one of his men.

It was seconds after Jason had received the text from Morgan, telling him that Sam was on her way home. Ava had given him a spare burner phone she kept on hand and he'd used it to communicate with her and Morgan during the execution of their plan. He'd been entering the back stairwell when one of the men Julian had assigned to guard Sam appeared out of nowhere. He hated that the man had got the drop on him, but his ongoing battle with infections had taken its toll.

He'd been caught. Julian had alerted his men and Jason thought for sure he was about to have to fight for his life not to end up back at Zacchara's, but then the guard surprised him. "Mr. Jerome wanted to tell you... welcome home." That's the message he'd had his guard deliver and Jason knew then Julian had meant what he'd said on the phone earlier to Ava. Was it better late than never or too little too late? Jason wasn't sure, but, ultimately, it wasn't his decision to make. That decision belonged to his wife.

"No, he and his people treated me well." Jason could see the confusion his attitude caused. Sam was furious with the people that had kept him away from her and rightfully so, but she didn't know everything yet and that might change how she felt. It had for him.

"I don't agree with what they did, Sam, but I understand it." He hadn't forgiven it and wasn't sure he ever would, but he knew Sam might and he would understand if she did. After all, Julian hadn't done anything worse to her than some of the things Sam had blamed Alexis for and she'd forgiven her mother. In time, she might be able to forgive her father too.

"How can you say that, Jason?" Sam rose from the sofa as she began to pace, anger alight in the click of her heels. "They _kept_ you from us! They let me think you were _dead!_"

"I know." Jason stood from his seat and pulled her to him as she searched his eyes for some kind of answer that made sense. "I know and you're right, but there's a lot you don't know, a lot I need to tell you." This was going to tear her up, just like it had when she'd learned Alexis was her mother. She'd be torn over wanting that connection with her father and hating the man who'd caused her so much pain and in that moment, understanding or not, _belief_ or not, he hated Julian Jerome for putting Sam in that position.

"Is it because they let you live? I mean thank God they did, but Jason that doesn't buy them a pass for what they did to you, to us!"

"No, it doesn't." He was still angry too, mostly over the pain his disappearance had caused Sam, but he wasn't out for Julian Jerome's blood anymore. "But they didn't just let me live. They also saved me. If any other rival had found me that night or if they hadn't pulled me from the water when they did, I'd be dead right now."

Sam shivered at his words and Jason pulled her even closer to let her feel him against her skin and hear his heart beating in his chest as he continued. "I came to when I hit the freezing water, but I was so weak from the loss of blood and the cold. I kept fighting to stay above the surface and to pull myself back onto the dock, but the current kept pulling me under. I was determined not to give up, but the truth is I don't know how much fight I had left in me."

Jason could feel the warmth and wetness of her tears seeping through his shirt and kissed her head murmuring words of reassurance as he held her.

"I searched for you, Jason. I dove in the waters myself that night. I even found the phoenix I asked you to carry with you, but there was no other sign of you. Everyone told me it just wasn't possible for you to have survived. I should have known better. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I stopped looking."

"Sam, it's okay. I don't blame you." He told her, but she shook her head as she buried her face further into his chest and squeezed her eyes shut willing herself not to fall apart on him. He could be sick. He just got home. I should be taking care of him, she lectured herself.

"Look at me." Jason directed her gaze to his. "It wasn't just you and me anymore. You had our son to think about. He needed you to put him first and you did and I don't regret that and I don't want you to either. Okay?" Jason held her gaze, imploring her to hear his words and believe them. He didn't want her feeling guilty or punishing herself for some misguided notion that she should have known better.

Sam nodded, but Jason wasn't sure he'd convinced her. She laid her head back against his heart and tightened her hold. "Should I call my mom now?"

"In just a few minutes," Jason told her as they pulled out of their hug and he guided her by the hand back over to the couch. "Danny's safe for now. I have men on him, but I need to talk to you first about something. It's important."

"You have men on him? Jason, how... Did you already speak to Sonny? Did he tell you about the guards he put on me and Danny this morning?" Sam was unsure how Jason could have guards in place so fast any other way, but then shouldn't he already know Danny was at her mother's if he'd spoken to Sonny?

"No. Sonny has men on you too?" Jason was surprised by that latest development and Sam nodded even more confused.

Jason took a breath and exhaled hard as he looked away in thought.

"It's okay." He decided. "These men know to stay clear of Sonny's men. They're good. There won't be any trouble until I can talk to Sonny about it." Jason assured her.

"Jason, I don't understand how you could have men on us already. You just escaped!"

"That's part of what I want to talk to you about. Sam, the person in charge of the organization that held me was..."

"I found something!" Spinelli sprung through their front door like a jack-in-the-box cutting off what Jason was about to tell her.

Sam smiled bright and jumped from the sofa, much like a jack-in-the-box, herself. "So did I!" She grinned as she pulled Jason to stand next to her.

"Stone Cold... Jas, Jason?" Spinelli's voice went soft and Sam couldn't tell if he was two seconds from throwing his arms around her husband or having a stroke.

Jason actually smiled a genuine smile to see his friend again. He'd missed him. "Good to see you, Spinelli."

"Good, good doesn't even begin to cover it. This is incredible, amazing!" Once again Spinelli looked like he was fighting himself not to rush Jason in a hug.

Spinelli stifled his outburst and tried to compose himself as he held out his hand for Jason to shake. He knew his friend and mentor was not a hugger, even on a good day. But, apparently, this day was better than good Spin realized as Jason held out his hand to shake and then pulled him into a one-armed hug complete with three manly pats on the back.

"Welcome home, dear friend, welcome home!" Spin tried not to cry.

"Thanks Spin." Jason let go of the younger man and pretended to ignore the moisture Spin worked quickly to wipe from his eyes.

"This is a miracle! We must put the good word out that our prayers have been answered. I'll start with Maxie. The entire town should be in the know before lunch." Spinelli pulled his phone from his pocket and began to text.

"No!" Jason's forceful response caused both Sam and Spinelli to take pause. This was good news. Why wouldn't he want the people who loved him to know?

Jason looked between Sam and Spinelli. "Right now you two and Morgan are the only ones aside from my captors who know I'm still alive and I need to keep this under wraps a little while longer."

"What's going on?" Her senses were on high alert. Jason had told her they weren't in danger. Actually, no, he'd said they weren't in danger from the people who'd taken him. Was there some other threat already on the horizon? Is that why he had guards on them? If so, how could he know about it so fast? Jason said he hadn't spoken with Sonny and she doubted his captors would be so forthcoming.

"I promise I'll explain everything, but right now the only people that can know I'm alive are you two, Sonny and your mother. Morgan gave me his word he won't say anything until I do and I'll just have to trust him to keep quiet."

Ordinarily, he wouldn't have involved Alexis, but she was Sam's mother and this concerned her too.

There was a knock at the door and the three of them froze for a second before a voice called out on the other side. "Sam, honey, it's your mother!"

They heard keys jingling at the lock even though it wasn't engaged and Sam looked to Jason for direction.

"Maybe it would be better if you eased her into Stone Cold's return. We wouldn't want to frighten Danny if she happens to faint from the shock." Spin suggested.

Jason nodded and retreated to the kitchen just as the door opened and Sam stepped forward to greet her mother. "Mom, hi, I thought I was supposed to pick Danny up from your place later today."

"That was before." Alexis smiled wanly then looked to Spinelli. "Hello Spinelli."

"Most gracious greetings Goddess Mother," Spinelli beamed.

"Goddess Mother? I haven't been that for years. You know, Spinelli, you're good for a grandmother's ego and don't let anyone tell you any different." Alexis told him as she pushed Danny's stroller inside.

"Baby boy!" Sam smiled bright as she hefted him from his stroller and onto her hip. Their family reunion was almost complete and Sam couldn't wait to put Danny in his daddy's arms.

"You two sure are in an awfully chipper mood this morning." Alexis observed.

Something was up. Alexis had no idea what might have brought on Spinelli's good mood, but she couldn't help wonder if her daughter's bright smile had anything to do with her date the previous evening. She sighed and hoped the unease that thought brought her didn't show on her face.

She didn't really have much to say against the doctor any longer since he'd help save her grandson's life, but, in all truthfulness, she didn't think her daughter was really ready to move on and she wasn't altogether sure Silas Clay was a good fit even if she was. Alexis had already voiced her concerns once, however, and so she decided to bite her tongue on the matter unless Sam came to her for advice or Silas did something to warrant further concern.

"We received some good news today, no, incredible, amazing news today. Right, Spin?" Sam grinned at her partner almost unable to contain herself.

"Indubitably," Spin concurred with a grin that bested the Cheshire cat's.

"Well hopefully that trend will continue. I could use it." Alexis replied cryptically.

"What's going on?" Sam said as her smiled dimmed. She worried something may have happened with Danny or her sisters or Rafe. Nothing good lasted for long in her life, it seemed, without something equally devastating happening too. Danny looked no worse for wear, but her mother appeared a little off the more Sam studied her.

"In a minute, I want to hear this good, incredible, amazing news first." Sam's smile grew again as she shared another grin with Spinelli and Alexis couldn't take the suspense. She wasn't kidding when she'd said she could use some good news. She just hoped the news waiting for her and Sam in that envelope in her purse was good too.

"Alright you two, spill it." Alexis ordered with a sly eye. It was the same one she'd perfected after years of practice with her three girls. Davis girls were always up to something and poor Danny, the little Davis boy, hadn't fallen far from the tree Alexis noted as she watched him stealthily reach for the phone in Spinelli's back pocket.

"Daniel Morgan!" Alexis called to her grandson and he froze in mid-action as he turned his little head to look at her. "No sir." She told him in a firm, but gentle tone.

Sam looked down to find the one year old in her arms had nearly lifted Spinelli's phone completely out of his back pocket without either of them knowing. "Danny, no," Sam chided. "It's not nice to pick-pocket your godfather."

A single brow rose on Alexis' face as she stifled the urge to point out it wasn't really nice or legal to pick-pocket _anyone_, but she found herself too caught up in the beautiful image her daughter made mothering her son and how fortunate she felt to be a part of their lives now given all the mistakes she'd made in their beginning.

"I must say, Fair Samantha, young master Daniel has inherited his mother's skilled hands. I didn't feel a thing." Spinelli said in slight awe and Sam had to admit a part of her was proud to hear it.

"Don't encourage him, Spinelli." Alexis cautioned.

"Mom's right Spin. You hear that Danny? You're just gonna have to find a more productive use for those skilled hands of yours. Don't worry, though. That's what your daddy and I are here for; to help you with that." Sam spoke to Danny as he played with the collar of her shirt and threw occasional glances her way and back to Spinelli's phone which was now in Spinelli's hands. She kissed her son on his forehead when she was done.

"Sam," The sudden sadness in Alexis' voice caused Sam to look up into her mother's eyes and she was confused by the level of concern and sympathy she saw there.

"What?" Sam said, not realizing what she'd said to cause it.

That was the other reason Alexis had come over earlier than planned. Her middle child, Kristina, had called home from college to chat over breakfast and she'd asked about her sisters and Danny as well. Their conversation had led to the reminder that today was the one year anniversary of Jason's death and Alexis didn't want her eldest daughter to spend it all alone. She wasn't sure the news she intended to share with Sam was appropriate for such an emotionally charged date, but, if nothing else, it may distract her from her pain over losing Jason and that would be something at least.

To hear Sam include Jason in her future with Danny still, after all this time, broke her heart for her daughter. She'd known deep down Sam wasn't ready to move on with another man and this, to her, proved it and it made her wish for the thousandth time since her son-in-law had been killed that there was something she could do to bring him back.

Jason Morgan may not have been her first or 30th choice for her daughter, but he was Sam's first choice and Alexis had finally learned to respect that and Jason's place in her baby girl's life, the very same baby girl who stood before her now all grown up with a baby of her own. "Sam, you told Danny that Jason is here with you and Jason's..."

She couldn't bring herself to finish and see the pain in her daughter's eyes when she reminded her that Jason was never coming back. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I'm just worried for you. I know emotions must be running high today of all days and I wish there was something I could do to make it better."

Alexis began to doubt her decision. She realized now the news she had would offer a temporary distraction at best and then Sam would have even more weight and worry on her shoulders and in her heart.

Sam realized her slip when she'd spoken to Danny and exchanged a brief look with Spin who was now biting his lip, probably in effort not to blurt out their good news. A blind man could see he was bursting at the seams to share something. They would need to do better if they intended to keep Jason's return a secret from anyone for very long.

Sam looked back at her mother and saw the genuine care and concern Alexis had for her and it touched her. She'd been her rock this past year.

"Mom, Jason's..." Sam started and stopped when Spinelli made a loud and pointed gesture of clearing of his throat.

Sam was so excited to share her good news she'd forgotten they wanted Danny out of the room first in case her mother didn't handle it well. "Spin, I think Danny could use a change. Would you mind?"

"Of course," Spin agreed, accepting Danny into his arms, who, immediately went for the phone in Spin's grip as Sam handed him over. "Come along wee one, although not quite so wee anymore. I'm afraid a new nickname may be in order." Sam and Alexis watched as Spinelli made his way upstairs with Danny.

Sam looked back at her mother who gave her a sad smile. "I love you, sweetheart. I hope you know that."

"I do, mom, and I love you, too. Let's sit." Sam offered as they both moved to be seated on the sofa.

"I have some incredible news and I want to try to prepare you for it, but I'm not sure there really is any way to prepare for this kind of news." Sam began to ramble.

"It's okay. Just tell me. After dealing with my Cassadine family all these years, there really isn't much you could tell me to shock me." Alexis assured her then prayed her daughter wasn't about to tell her the doctor was moving in. That couldn't possibly be the daddy Sam was referring to, could it? Please tell her she knew her daughter better than that, she begged the heavens above.

"Jason's alive!" Sam blurted and wished she'd thought to have a paper bag on hand first.

"Except that." Alexis replied and closed her open mouth to swallow, hard. "Sam, what... What would make you think that after all this time? I knew today would be hard, but I just had no idea it would lead you to..."

"Mom," Sam interrupted. "Mom, it's true. I haven't gone Cassadine crazy. I promise you. Jason survived. He's alive."

Alexis studied her daughter for any signs of mental breakdown. She seemed fine other than her insistence that her dead husband was still among the living, so Alexis decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. If a Cassadine could rise from the dead, why not a Cassadine's husband, she figured. Alexis bit her own tongue for counting her daughter in with the Cassadine lot, but there was no escaping your DNA as the results in her purse set reminding her.

"What's changed your mind?" Alexis inquired and watched as the smile on her daughter's face brightened in a way she hadn't seen since her baby boy had been returned to her alive and well.

"Me," A familiar voice answered and Alexis turned from her spot on the couch and nearly fell out of her seat. "Jas," Her hand rose to her chest as she tried to catch her breath and Jason held a paper bag out to her.

"Jason?" She called out, ignoring the bag in his hand as she rose from the sofa and no one was more surprised than her when she threw her arms around him.

"Is it really you?" Alexis studied the area around his neckline and every feature of his face, even going so far as to check for make-up and a wig. She refused to let an imposter hurt her daughter the way Faison had hurt Anna.

Jason almost chuckled at her reaction once they pulled out of the awkward hug. She was checking to see if he was wearing a mask like Faison had. "I have nothing to say without my lawyer present." He replied with his trademark blink-stare and Alexis breathed a sigh of relief and exasperation.

"Oh, yeah. It's you alright." She determined, issuing him a wry look, and turned back to her daughter who was now standing too.

"It's really him." Sam said with happy tears in her eyes and a smile on her face and Alexis pulled her daughter into a hug and squeezed her tight as she rocked her happily.

"I am so happy for you, my baby." Alexis told her and she was.

"Me too," Sam sniffled and shook her head at herself. She'd been an emotional mess since Jason came home.

"Okay, you two. Details! I need to know how this is possible." Alexis said as she made herself comfortable on the sofa again.

Sam moved over to Jason and put her hand in his as he pulled her onto his knee in the chair next to the couch. "Jason was just about to give me details when you and Spin showed up."

Jason swallowed and nodded.

"You were about to tell me the name of the person running the organization who held you prisoner." Sam reminded him.

"Right. You should know they treated me well, though, Sam. I mean I wasn't allowed to leave, but they treated me more like a guest than a prisoner. The only thing denied to me was access to the people I love and certain pieces of information my captor thought might work against him if I knew."

"You mean make you try harder to escape." Sam deduced.

"The thought of coming home to you was all the inspiration I needed for that." Jason answered and even Alexis found herself moved at that heartfelt declaration.

Sam wrapped her arm around Jason's neck as her other hand cupped his cheek and they shared a loving kiss. She pulled back slightly to nuzzle his nose with her own before sitting up straight again.

Jason sighed and focused on what he needed to tell them. He grasped Sam's hand in support, to remind her they were together and they would get through it together too.

"Sam," He picked up from where he left off before Spinelli arrived. "The person in charge of the organization that held me is Julian Jerome."

He heard Alexis' audible gasp, but couldn't take his eyes away from Sam. She looked at him in complete confusion, ready to dismiss it. "Jason, that can't be. Julian Jerome is dead. He died when I was ten." She'd done the math after learning from her mother he may very well be her father. She'd been curious to know when and where she was in the world when her father had left it and she'd decided to write that down for Daniel one day in case he ever had those same thoughts about his own father when he was older. She was so happy her son would never have those questions now.

"That is what everyone was led to believe, Sam, for matters of national and international security. But I assure you Julian Jerome is as healthy and alive as I am." Healthier, in fact, Jason added silently.

Sam shook her head and became extremely agitated at that news and Jason wasn't sure why. He hadn't told her who Julian Jerome was to her yet. The man was a stranger to her and he didn't understand why she seemed to have such an intense reaction to his being alive.

"Are you telling me Sam's father is alive and he's the man who held you all this time?" Alexis said still stunned.

That caught both Sam and Jason's attention. "What do you mean? I thought we were still waiting on the DNA results to come back. Did you hear something?"

"DNA, what's going on?" Jason thought he'd been the one in the know, on this matter at least, and now felt completely out of the loop.

Sam pulled Jason's hand into her lap as she laced her fingers with his. "It's a long story, but when Danny got sick..." She looked up suddenly, "He's fine now Jason. Danny isn't sick anymore." She assured him.

"I know, Sam. I know he's in remission now. Julian kept me updated on you and Danny as much as he could." Jason told her.

Sam huffed and her brows creased at his admission, not sure at all how she felt about that. All she knew was that her heart hurt, hearing Jason speak of the man who might be her father and the man who'd caused her so much pain and realizing they might be one in the same.

Sam wasn't sure how to respond to that so she continued with her explanation. "When Danny was diagnosed with Leukemia and failed to respond to the chemo, we were pretty desperate to find a donor. That's when I finally asked Alexis to tell me about my father. There wasn't much known about him and so mom began researching it. We managed to find a donor without him, but mom still wanted answers so she continued to look into it and that's when she discovered my father, Julian, may be Julian Jerome."

Jason frowned. If he'd known Sam suspected Julian was her father, he would have started his story in some other way to break this all to her more gently. "But if you thought Julian was dead, where did you get the DNA?"

"Julian had another child." Alexis answered.

"Carly and I may share a brother." Sam said and the look on Jason's face almost made her forget the upsetting news about Julian Jerome.

"Lucas, Lucas Jones is your brother?" Jason was glad he was sitting down. He wondered how Carly had reacted to the news and it was the first time he'd wondered about her in a while since learning all she'd been up to in his absence.

"Possibly, Lucas is the biological son of Julian Jerome and when Bobbie explained everything to him he consented to a DNA test to determine if we're half-siblings." Sam explained.

"The tests were supposed to take a week, but, mom," Sam said turning back to her now. "You sound like you already know the answer."

"No, I just know my luck with men." She muttered, but it was loud enough for Sam and Jason to hear.

"I was able to persuade Spinelli's girlfriend; Ellie, who happened to be on duty in the lab, to work around the clock until she had an answer and voila." She said, pulling the envelope from her purse. "She called me to pick them up from the hospital this morning."

Jason felt Sam's grip on his hand tighten and rubbed her back in comfort.  
Alexis looked at the envelope in her hand and then at her daughter and was now decidedly in favor of Julian Jerome being anyone's father other than her daughter's. Jason seemed positive Julian was alive and that Julian had been the one to allow Sam to think her husband was dead. Time had a way of changing people as Alexis well knew, but these actions seemed the work of the same ruthless man she'd learned Julian Jerome had become.

Alexis held the envelope in her hand, not wanting to open it and confirm what she already knew in her gut.

"It's okay, mom. Open it." Sam encouraged. There was no turning back now. She needed to know if the man that had held her husband hostage was also her father.

Alexis took a deep breath and tore the seal on the envelope. She unfolded the papers and took a deep breath as she scanned them for the answers both mother and daughter needed. Her eyes watered and tears fell as she found them. "It's a match. Lucas is your half-brother and Julian Jerome..."

"Is my father," Sam finished.

She felt, she felt numb is what she felt, but hurt and angry too. Was it possible to feel all these feelings at the same time? It must, because she did. She'd rose from Jason's lap and began pacing again, but it wasn't an angry tempo. The rhythm was off-track, lost, just like she felt. Julian Jerome was her father and he was alive. Her father was alive, but he'd also been the one to keep Jason from her and to let her believe he was dead.

She was crying, she was fairly sure of that and she thought she heard Jason and her mother calling her name, but it was like she was in a fog of some sort or more like a crowded room and it was hard to hear their voices above the din in her head. She didn't know this man. He was a stranger. He meant nothing to her. But if that was true, why did it hurt so much? Did he know he was her father? Did it make a difference after what he'd done?

She felt Jason's hands on her shoulder and shook him off as she quickly dried her eyes. She refused to make Jason comfort her over the man that had kept him hostage for a year. "It's okay. I'm okay." She insisted, though mother and husband could see she was anything but.

"Sam it is okay to be upset about this." Jason told her and tried once more to console her.

She allowed him to pull her closer to him, but her wall was up and her body was filled with tension. "I'm fine, Jason. The man means nothing to me. I've lived most of my life just fine without a real father and I'll live the rest of it without one just fine too."

Jason sighed and shared a concerned look with Alexis over Sam's shoulder.

"Sam, there's more I need to tell you. Once you hear the whole story, it may change things for you. It did for me." Jason told her as he led her back over to the sofa.

Alexis was now standing near the fireplace. She'd stood when Sam stood up to pace, ready to console her, but hesitated when she saw her daughter reject Jason's first attempt.

She sat down now in the chair that Jason had vacated moments ago and held her breath for whatever Jason had left to tell them.

"Jason, it's okay. I don't think there's anything else I need to know about Julian Jerome." Sam told him as she watched him struggle with how to tell her the rest.

"I wouldn't be so sure!" Spin challenged as he landed the bottom step.

They'd been so engrossed in their conversation they'd forgotten he was there.

"Where's Danny?" Sam had a sudden urge to hold her little boy close and she filled that need by clutching Jason's hand in both of hers as his arm wrapped around her waist.

Jason wrapped an arm around Sam and pulled her closer to his side where he sat.

"A few texts and tweets and a quick diaper change later and he was out like a light." Spin grinned.

"Good. He needs his rest after everything he's been through." Sam told him and herself as well, still fighting the urge to go to him anyway.

Jason twined his fingers with Sam's and kissed her on top of her head. He could sense her desire to be with their son now, because he felt it too. He just wanted to hold his son. Danny may not be his biological child, but he was his in every way that counted and that was how he'd thought of him since the moment he and Sam first welcomed him home.

It had taken everything in him to walk in the opposite direction when his little boy had been just on the other side of that door and again not to rush into the living room to finally see him again as he stood in the kitchen listening to Sam discipline their little pick-pocket. He wanted nothing more than to go to him now with Sam by his side and hold him, but that would have to wait a little bit longer. Sam needed him more right now, whether she realized it yet or not.

"Yeah, Spin, what do you know about him?" Sam was curious what her partner could possibly know about a dead man or presumed dead man anyway. He had no reason to be on Spin's radar that she could think of.

"That's what I intended to inform you of when I arrived." He said and Sam and Jason both recalled his words earlier when he'd entered.

"You said you found something." Sam repeated.

"Indeed I did." Spin concurred as he reached into the laptop bag he'd nearly dropped on the floor after finding Stone Cold in his abode with Fair Samantha just like old times.

He pulled a phone from it. "I found this." He told them as he held the phone up. "It's the burner phone that was used to make the original call to you about Jason."

"Spinelli..." Jason started, but was interrupted by Sam.

"Where did you find it?" Sam was even more curious now.

"That is the most interesting part of all. I found it in none other than Derek Wells' office!" Spin announced and the plot thickened.

"Why on Earth were you snooping in Derek's office?" Alexis felt a little defensive of the media mogul suddenly and wasn't sure why. He'd saved her grandson. That had to be it.

"You know how I put out a few feelers on that specialized hardware I mentioned?" Spin looked at Sam for confirmation.

"Yeah, the hardware required to run the software that enabled the caller to disguise their voice." Sam followed.

"Exactly! Well, after I left here earlier, an, shall we say, anonymous FOS reported a tip. He'd seen a custom piece of machinery that fit the bill in Derek Wells' office." Spin explained in a way so as not to rat out his friend who worked security over at the Metro Court.

"I managed to buy a little time to search it out and this phone was the last thing I expected to find, but it was also the least of what I discovered." Jason didn't like where this was going. Spinelli was an expert when it came to computers. It wouldn't take much for him to hack Derek Wells' computer and when he did...

"Spinelli, I think that..." Jason started again, but, again, Sam cut him off. She was on a mission.

"Are you telling me the computer and phone used to make that call were made from Derek's phone and computer?" Sam wasn't sure what that meant. Was he in on it or had he learned somehow what Julian was up to and tried to put a stop to it? She recalled Derek's words earlier when he'd seemed so confident that he would help bring Jason home to her.

"Jason, is Derek the one who helped you escape?" Jason took a deep breath. How to answer...

"Not directly," That was evasive, but truthful. This was heading downstream fast.

"What does that mean?" Sam could tell he was holding something back.

"Maybe Derek was helping from the sidelines. Maybe he wanted to avoid the danger of dealing with the situation directly." Alexis offered and tried not to think of all the reasons she hoped she was right.

"Possibly," Spin conceded. "There's no question after the evidence I found that Derek Wells is tied to Julian Jerome in some way, but he isn't the one who made the call."

"How can you know for sure? I thought you said the modulation was too sophisticated to decipher." Sam said.

"Ah, no, I said for _most_ to decipher, but I am not like most." Spinelli claimed and everyone else in the room couldn't argue with that.

"I was able to retrieve a sample of Derek's voice off a recording from his office phone." He continued. "I then duplicated the modulating process using the same frequency and compared it with the digitized voice recording of the call. The signatures don't match. His voice is too deep when using the same modulation used to make the call. After further study, I'd say it's more likely a woman made the call."

"Silas mentioned a woman earlier. Jason, who was he talking about? Who helped you escape if it wasn't Derek?" Sam needed answers. She needed to know who to thank and who to hold accountable.

Jason took a deep breath. Seeing Sam and Spinelli at work, he felt sorry for anyone who ever underestimated them. "Your father's sister made the call, but Julian is the one who let me go."

"Father..." Spinelli was now out of the loop.

"Later, Spinelli," Alexis told him. "Just go with it."

Spinelli opened his mouth to object, but thought better of it when he saw the look in the Goddess Mother's eyes. He could have sworn he'd just seen a glimpse of the infamous Natasha Cassadine and he was immediately silenced by the possibility. He nodded mutely instead.

Suddenly the pieces clicked. "Ava, Ava Jerome is my father's sister. Isn't she?"

Jason held her steady gaze and nodded.

"That bitch! She knew you were alive all this time and that we're family? That was the deep dark secret she was warning me about." Sam shook her head ruefully. "Only she couldn't incriminate Silas without incriminating herself!"

Sam was livid.

"No!" Jason corrected. "She knew I was alive, yes, but they didn't know about you and Danny being related to them until the donor drive."

"So, my father does know about me. He's known for weeks about me and Danny and he still kept you from us?" A part of Sam was crushed, but she was too angry to feel that part now. She wanted to see him. She wanted to make him face her and answer to her for what he'd done to her family!

"Where is he, Jason? Where the hell is Julian Jerome, because he and I have a few things to say to one another?" Sam demanded.

"Sam, I think maybe..."

"Jason..." Sam warned in that tone that indicated he could very well be next on her list if he held out on her now and that's all she had to say for him to know she meant business.

He looked to Alexis for help in talking Sam down, but she looked just as fired up as his wife.

He sighed, resigned to his fate. This meeting was inevitable and he'd known it from the start. Julian must too and he hoped like hell the man did the right thing and told his daughter the whole truth when they spoke, because heaven help him if he ever got caught lying to her again.

"I'll set it up." Jason told her and he pulled the burner phone Ava had given him from his pocket and made the call.

"We need to meet." He told him when Julian answered.

"I've been expecting your call. I assume you told her at least part of it. How is she?" Julian knew he had a lot of explaining to do, but he still wasn't sure which story to give her; the one the underworld, including Sonny Corinthos, had been led to believe or the truth about who really funded his organization and to what end.

"I'd say your odds are better going up against Faison and coming out unscathed." Jason answered flatly and Julian smirked at the man's humor. It was the driest he'd ever come across, but it had grown on him in the time they'd spent together.

Sam narrowed her eyes at Jason in a discerning fashion as emotions swirled through her. Was Jason joking with her father? There was nothing jovial about it, but Jason was rarely jovial with anyone but her anyway. It's just that he didn't seem to regard his captor with contempt and she guessed that's what she'd expected from him. This interaction threw her, because she'd never seen him so relaxed when engaging an enemy. She didn't know what it meant that Jason would regard her father in any way less than an enemy after all he'd done, but, knowing her husband, she knew it meant something big.

"Tell your men Sonny has guards on Danny and Sam. I don't want anyone hurt before I can straighten this out with Sonny." Jason practically ordered.

"They're aware and have been instructed not to engage." Julian assured him.

Sam's eyes widened with realization. The men Jason had watching her and Danny were her father's men! Jason had entrusted them with Danny's safety and hers. She didn't know how to feel about that or about any of it. All she knew was that she was hurt and angry and also so thankful that her husband was alive and there with her. She just wanted to go upstairs and climb into bed with her husband and their son and shut out the rest of the world.

Alexis could feel the stress radiating off her daughter and went to sit by her on the sofa as Jason stood in front of the fireplace on his call.

Spinelli found a home in the chair Alexis left. He hadn't spoken since that glare Natasha had given him.

Julian gave Jason the time and place for them to meet and Jason ended the call after confirming they'd be there.

Jason pocketed his phone and looked at his wife. She looked like she'd gone ten rounds and there were several still to go, but she was still standing, still fighting. That was his wife. That was the woman he'd loved longer and deeper than any other in his life.

"We meet in two hours." Jason informed them. "Spinelli, Alexis, I'd like a little time alone with Sam before then if you don't mind."

"Of course, Stone Cold, I'll just make myself scarce." Spinelli complied.

Alexis kissed her daughter, hugged her and whispered that she loved her as Sam squeezed her back. "Love you, too, mom and nothing Julian Jerome does can change that, okay?"

Alexis smiled weakly and nodded as emotion filled her eyes again and stole her voice. She cleared her throat and stood from the sofa.

"What time should we meet back here?" Alexis wondered. She wasn't really sure what she would do with herself until then, but Jason and Sam deserved a little downtime if they could find it. Maybe she would just go pay Derek Wells a little visit. Julian Jerome wasn't the only one who had a little explaining to do as far as she was concerned.

Jason checked his phone for the time.

"Fifteen before one is good." He answered as he joined Sam back on the sofa.

"See you then," Alexis replied as Spin held the door open for her.

"Alexis," Jason called and she paused in her exit and turned.

"No one can know about my return yet, not until it's safe."

"I won't tell a soul." She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize their happiness now.

Alexis started to leave again and then turned back on second thought.

"Welcome home, Jason. Your family and friends missed you, all of us." She confessed then gave her daughter one last smile and was out the door with Spinelli in tow.

Page 32 of 32 Created: 2014-01-26 Updated: 2014-03-01 Words: 11034 Characters: 58786


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

They had an hour until their meeting with Sonny and subsequent meeting with Julian when all hell would break loose, but, for now, it was just the three of them. Mother, father and son were safely ensconced in their home and as far as Jason was concerned the Morgan family reunion was long overdue.

Jason cleared Sam's dark brown hair from her shoulder with the hand he had wrapped around her and began caressing her at the back of her neck as she sat snug against him. It was as if both knew this was their moment of peace before the storm and were savoring it. They hadn't moved from their spot since Alexis and Spinelli left minutes ago, except to get closer.

Even when Jason had Sam call Sonny to request his presence at the penthouse, Sam had only moved to rest her head against her husband's chest as she spoke. Jason had simply occupied himself with trailing his fingers through her hair as she managed to explain the urgency for Sonny to drop everything to come by without actually explaining anything. Years out of the trade and she was still the best con-artist he'd ever known. He smiled faintly to himself, amused and totally enamored by every facet of the woman in his arms.

Jason continued to play with her hair, he realized, as a self-soothing gesture. He was filled with an overwhelming desire to bolt up the stairs and hug his son, but Danny had just fallen asleep and needed his rest. It was all Jason could do to distract himself from doing it anyway, but Sam in his arms always made for the best distraction and so it hadn't taken long to lose himself in the feeling of her next to him and beneath his fingertips.

Her hair was longer, he'd noticed. She had to have cut it while he was away, but it was still longer than when he'd last seen her. It was still just as soft, though, and smelled just as nice. He leaned in and breathed her and their moment of togetherness in and felt slightly guilty for wishing like hell a fire truck or ambulance would pass by with sirens blazing so their son would wake up and join them.

His fingers stilled as Sam breathed a deep sigh he wasn't altogether sure was contented. "You okay?"

She sighed again and smoothed her hand over the familiar black cotton covering his chest. His clothes and shoes were new, but obviously of his choosing and that reminded her of how Jason had said he'd been treated more like a guest than a prisoner. Did that make a difference? Certainly some, but enough? She pushed those thoughts away. She refused to think about their troubles until she could face them, literally.

"Would it be bad, do you think, to wake Danny up early?" She'd been sitting there since ending her call with Sonny, debating whether or not to wake their son. "I know he just got out of the hospital and he's still recovering, but..."

Jason put his thumb to her lips. She turned her head to look at him and he smiled that crooked little half-smile she loved so much, the one their son inherited. "If that makes you a bad parent, I'm no better. I've been sitting here wishing an ambulance would drive by or a helicopter would do a fly by outside Danny's window."

Sam laughed and quickly kissed his thumb before he pulled it away. "I'm so glad you said that. Come on."

Sam rose from the sofa and pulled at his hand with both of hers as he rose too. This was a special occasion and they'd put their moment off long enough. She turned toward the stairs, reveling in the feel of his solid arm wrapping around her on their way up.

"Let's go check on our son." Jason murmured against her as they walked arm in arm toward the nursery and Sam's heart swelled with love for him at hearing him call Daniel their son again, especially when he had no idea just how true that was.

Jason thought he knew what love for a child was with the children in his life before and he did, but this was different. His love for the little boy lying asleep in the crib before him had grown so impossibly large he wasn't sure how he could contain it within himself. It was too much and not enough all at once. He'd never felt love for a child that strong, though baby Lila and Michael came close. His ex, Courtney, had lost their child before his love for that baby ever had a chance to grow to what it would have been and the same was true for Sam's baby girl, Lila, though he'd had more time with her and his love was much stronger.

He hadn't allowed himself to embrace fatherhood with Jake, though, and the same could be said for Hope, the baby girl he and Sam wanted to adopt, and even Michael to a degree. He'd always forced himself to hold back just a little, especially after he'd given them up for others to raise. But this baby, this little boy was his son. Sam had allowed him to be his father and no one would take him away and he would never walk away, not this time, not with this child, not ever. The children in his life before had taught him better and he'd finally learned.

His biological son, Jake, had been killed before he ever got to know his love and if he was honest with himself he could admit his nephew, Michael, had suffered a great deal because he'd walked away from the chance at being his father. He'd watched earlier that morning how his now grown godson, Morgan, carried himself with so much anger and resentment for his parent's neglect and wondered if that's how Jake may have felt toward him one day if he'd lived. He would never know for sure, but he knew one thing. He would make certain he never made that mistake with Daniel. This child would never doubt his father's love.

Jason had lost so many chances at fatherhood and even given some away and nearly lost it with Daniel as well, but he'd found it again thanks to Sam and he'd embraced it with everything in him since he'd been away and that love had only grown stronger over time.

"He's still perfect... and big." Jason gazed down at the sleeping sixteen month old he'd last held as an infant and, looking at him now, it was hard to imagine his son so sick only weeks ago. He looked so strong and healthy.

"And awake," Sam noted with a little laugh as one of Danny's eyes peeked open on the sly.

"Are you playing possum again, Danny, huh?" Sam reached into the crib and tugged on his toes. "I swear, Jason. He's just like you. He'll do anything to avoid talking, even pretend to sleep!"

The sound of Danny's belly laughs filled the nursery as his mother's fingers trailed up his leg to his tummy and tickled him. He then turned abruptly onto his belly and rose to stand in his crib staring out at his mother and the new person in the room.

Sam watched, mesmerized by the sight, as father and son stared at one another for a long moment and then blinked. She couldn't help grin at their identical exchange. She continued to watch them, wanting to see how the moment played out a bit longer before re-introducing father and son.

For Danny's part, he didn't shy away from Jason. He was definitely curious and hadn't looked away since he first noticed him, but Danny didn't seem to feel threatened by him. It was like their son knew somehow or maybe even already _felt_ safe with his father just like Sam had with him all those years ago before she could ever understand why.

Jason's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to reach out and pull his little boy into a tight squeeze, but he remained still and calm by all outward appearance. He didn't want to scare him. Jason gave his son a half-smile and to his surprise Danny returned it. It felt oddly satisfying to recognize something of himself in the child Sam gave birth to.

He still had the same blue eyes Jason inherited from his grandmother, Lila, too. They hadn't changed which seemed odd to him since both his biological parents had brown eyes. It was nice to look into his grandmother's eyes again, though he wouldn't have minded looking into a smaller version of Sam's warm brown eyes either. Her eyes were only one of the many things he loved about her, but they were one of his favorite things. Maybe one day their daughter might have her mother's eyes. Sam dreamed of them having a son and daughter together and now that Jason was home again he intended to make every one of her dreams come true, because that was his dream – to make her happy.

Jason continued to take in every little feature of his son as he stood there with Sam and then Danny finally decided he'd had enough of their blink-staring contest. He reached down into his crib, popped his pacifier in his mouth and held his two little arms outstretched toward his mother. Jason watched as Sam lifted and shuffled him to her hip with a practiced ease even though he could tell that, soon, Danny would be too big for her small frame to carry that way.

"He's talking now? He must be walking too." Jason wondered what his first words had been. He'd missed those and his first steps.

Sam heard the sadness in his voice when Jason asked about his son. He'd missed so much, but Sam was determined to fill him in with stories and all the pictures and videos she'd taken and notes she'd scribbled in Danny's baby journal. It wouldn't be the same as having been there, but maybe it would help fill that void and having Danny now, in his arms, would help too.

"He doesn't talk much. He must only talk when he has something to say." Sam gave Jason a pointed look and he smiled faintly remembering the time he'd told Sam the same thing about himself. "His first word was mom, not mama like most babies, which Alexis insists is a sign of his strong sense of individuality. Something, according to her, every great leader possesses. He took his first steps downstairs in front of the fireplace a couple weeks before his first birthday. I have pictures and video of almost everything."

Sam gave a sheepish grin as she pointed to the stack of DVDs and photo albums on one of his shelves. "I think I kind of went a little overboard after missing out with him the first four months."

"I'd like to see those, all of them." Jason told her as his eyes found hers briefly then rested on Daniel again.

"Danny, this is your daddy. See?" Sam nudged him toward Jason then pointed to one of several framed pictures in Danny's room that were filled with different photos of his father. There was one of the three of them the night they welcomed Daniel home and some were of Jason with Sam and other friends and family members past and present. He never realized so many pictures of him existed, but Sam had found them and used them to keep his memory alive for her and their son. "Our Christmas wish finally came true, Danny. Your daddy came home to us. Can you say Welcome Home Daddy?"

Sam looked down at Danny to see if he would speak. He didn't, but he did give Jason another little half-smile behind his pacifier. Sam smiled too as she looked back up to find Jason with tears in his eyes and a trembling smile on his face.

"You want to hold him?" Sam said. She could tell he did.

Of course he did, he couldn't wait. "I don't, I don't want to scare him."

"You won't." Sam reassured him and Jason nodded and held out his hands feeling more vulnerable in that moment than he had in a long time.

"Go to daddy, Danny." Sam encouraged as she leaned him toward Jason's extended hands.

Danny reached out and went to him without hesitation and Jason breathed a sigh of relief at not being rejected and did his best not to frighten his son with the strength of emotion that shot through him as he held him in his arms again for the first time in a year.

"I've missed you, Danny. I've missed you so much, son." Jason sighed and let the emotion wash over him as he placed a tender kiss to his head.

Sam couldn't take her eyes off of her husband holding their son; their son, a baby created from their love. The thought still awed her every time she considered it. "He's yours Jason."

Sam held his hopeful gaze as he searched hers for the truth and she nodded with a tearful smile. "Heather falsified the second paternity test to make us think Danny isn't your biological son. Steve found proof. You are Danny's father in every single way."

Jason looked down at the little guy in his arms and knew what he'd told Sam the night she and Danny came home to him was still true. Loving a child wasn't about DNA. His love for Danny was absolute and unwavering regardless, but he would be lying if he said it didn't humble him to know the child in his arms was a child they'd created together from their love.

Sam watched Jason's expression change from one of adoration to joy and awe just like she'd felt the first time she'd learned the news and every time she'd shared it since and she knew; she knew he felt the same as her. The news didn't make them love Danny more. It just made them feel more blessed, because it meant their son would never have to face an ugly truth about how he came to be and, dead or alive, it meant Franco was now out of their lives for good.

"I guess those blue eyes make even more sense now, huh." Jason jostled Danny playfully in his arms and smiled a genuine smile at his son and for Sam as he held out his arm and she stepped into his side for a family hug.

_**xxxxx**_

"I still can't believe you're alive." Sonny had repeated that for about the fifth time now since he'd arrived. They'd discuss something for a minute or two and then he'd shake his head with a look of astonishment and say it again.

Jason gave a stifled laugh as his head kicked back in amusement over it while Sam sat beaming at his side. The last hour of his life with Sam and Danny had been the best he ever remembered. He and Sam had sat together on the floor of Danny's African safari themed nursery playing with their son and before they knew it his friend and business partner, Sonny, was at their door as requested. Jason looked over at Danny now to find him in the process of climbing a stack of toys he'd made in attempt to make a break from his pack n play.

"Do you see this?" Sam said as she stood from the sofa and walked over to Danny before he could fall.

"Guess you're all done with the pack n play from now on, huh? We can't have you falling out on your head." She told her son as she lifted him from his precarious footing only to have the stack of toys give way and crash to the mat as she lifted him.

"Ah come on, give Danny a little more credit than that Sam. He's half Morgan half McCall. That kid is as tough as they come and genetically engineered to always land on his feet." Sonny teased.

"He's a little escape artist is what he is, aren't you, Danny?" Sam accused and Danny remained silent.

"Alexis taught him well. I see he's refusing to speak without an attorney present." Sonny joked and Jason half-chuckled.

Sam just rolled her eyes at him and smiled despite herself. She knew Sonny had been in a really dark place after losing the woman he loved and it was good to see him like the man she'd once thought she'd fallen in love with. Their friendship may not be as close as it once was, but he was her little sister's father and she wanted good things for him.

"First pick-pocketing and now jailbreaks? What are your daddy and I gonna do with you, huh?" Sam hefted him just above eye level in front of her and lowered him, eyes smiling, until their noses touched as she stared into her son's beautiful blue eyes.

"Mac," Danny exclaimed and Jason and Sonny shared a look with raised brows as Sam brought Danny back around to her hip.

"Did he just ask for Mac? Uh, Danny, I know Scorpio may not be the police commissioner any longer, but he's still probably not the one you want to call on in this type of situation. I think who you want right now is grandma." Sonny advised.

Jason just looked on full of wonder at hearing his son's voice for the first time. Sam hadn't been kidding when she said Danny didn't talk much. He hadn't heard a peep out of him since he'd come home.

"The food, Sonny, not the man although there's nothing wrong with the man either. Mac Scorpio is a good guy." Sam may have questioned Mac's judgment on the job a time a time or two, but she'd always known him to be a fair man and her opinion of him only grew in favor after seeing the care and respect he'd shown when he'd dated her mother.

"Even better now that he's no longer commissioner." Jason mumbled and Sonny pulled a frown and nodded in agreement.

Sam cut her eyes at her husband, but smiled just the same. "Come on, Danny. Let's go make lunch and let these two comedians finish their set without us."

"Mac," Danny repeated with more enthusiasm and Jason and Sonny still weren't so sure whether that was an endorsement for the food or the man.

Sam gave Jason a wink as she walked by him on her way out of the living room and he grasped her free hand as she passed. She stopped and turned to look at him. He didn't say anything, but his look said it all. He was blissfully happy and totally in love with her and their son. Sam leaned down with Danny in her arms and planted a kiss on her husband's lips. He gave her his almost smile as she pulled away then gave his son a little shake of his hand as Sam stood tall again and headed off toward the kitchen.

"You're not gonna cook for him are you?" Sonny hollered as she made her exit and both men laughed outright as she held her hand up, high above Danny's head, and flipped Sonny off without ever saying a word or turning back to look at him.

The room grew quiet for a moment before Sonny spoke again. "Seriously though, Jason, she's not cooking is she? You've seen her around a stove and I'm sorry to say, if there's any truth to the stories Molly shared the last time we talked, that much hasn't changed."

Jason shook his head with a half-smirk. Sam would probably never be a great cook, but she had learned a few things over the years. "She can handle mac and cheese, Sonny, just don't ask her for a BLT."

"I heard that!" Sam yelled from the kitchen and both men laughed again.

Jason breathed deep and exhaled slowly as his thoughts grew more serious. He and Sonny hadn't really discussed any details yet. They'd just enjoyed being in good company again, but there wasn't much time left. Jason was set to meet Julian in less than an hour and Sonny needed to know a few things first.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it all right now, but you said someone was holding you all this time. Give me a name, Jason, and I swear I'll make them pay for what they've done." The look in Sonny's eyes told Jason he meant every word and any other time he would have felt relieved to know Sonny had his back, but things were different this time. Sonny's decisions couldn't be based on saving face for the business or personal pride or even payback for his friend. This was about Sam and Danny's family now too.

"I need you to hear me out before you make any decisions." Sonny gave Jason a pensive look at his request, but nodded.

"The man that found me and held me is the same man that's been making moves against you." Jason admitted.

"Julian Jerome," Sonny guessed and waited for confirmation of his hunch.

"So you know he's alive." Jason wondered just what else Sonny may have learned.

"I've heard a few things. I took Shawn on to help me out after we lost you. He's been working a few leads and they all seem to point back to the Jeromes. Son of a bitch, Jason! That bastard's alive and he's had you all this time? Where? We need to find this guy and hit him hard!" Sonny moved to the edge of his seat as anger pulsed through him.

"He bought Zacharra's estate. He had a wing there, locked off." Jason didn't have to spell it out any further.

"He had you locked up right here in Port Charles? Right in my territory all this time." Sonny shook his head, shame flooding him. "I should have known. I'm so sorry man. I let you down."

"You had a lot going on. I heard about AJ's return right after I disappeared and then Franco's, and Sam told me about Connie. I'm sorry, Sonny. I know how much she meant to you." Julian had told him about his brother's return months ago as well as Franco's which is when Jason had insisted Sam and Danny be put under Julian's protection, but Connie's murder as well as AJ's arrest for it had come as a surprise.

"It took everything in me not to put a bullet in him for what he did to Connie, but I couldn't do that to Michael." Sonny confessed.

"You did the right thing for the sake of your family." Jason assured him. "Now I have to ask you to do the right thing again, for the sake of mine."

"Of course, Jason. Name it, whatever you need." Jason let him off the hook, but Sonny still felt guilty as hell for allowing their enemies to get a hold of him and he intended to make it up to his friend any way he could.

"I know you, Sonny. This is going to be as hard for you as holding back on AJ, but it's what my family needs." Jason said and sighed before continuing. "Julian Jerome is Sam's father and I need you to let me deal with him."

"Father? How... are you sure?" Sonny asked the question, but in his mind the pieces of the puzzle began to click together. His son's girlfriend had told him her mother, Ava Jerome, had a secret brother she'd never told anyone about; a brother with money and connections that had bank-rolled her art gallery. Sonny had suspected that brother was Julian and had a feeling Ava would lead them straight to him. Coincidentally, which he'd never been a big believer in coincidences in his line of work, Ava Jerome was thick as thieves with a town newcomer by the name of Derek Wells, a man Sonny had never met who seemed to be waging a war against him in his newspaper and that same supposed stranger had just coincidentally turned up as a genetic match to donate bone marrow to Sam and Jason's son. _Derek Wells waging a war... genetic match... Sam's father... Julian Jerome!_

"Positive," Jason answered, watching as the wheels turned in Sonny's head. "Alexis and Sam had a DNA test run to prove it. It turns out Lucas Jones is Julian's biological son and Sam's half-brother."

Sonny raked his teeth over his bottom lip. "Did you ever get a look at Julian, see him face to face?"

Jason nodded, not sure why he'd asked.

Sonny pulled his phone from the interior pocket of his suit jacket and flipped through a few screens. "Is this him?"

Sonny handed Jason his phone and Jason sighed. He'd told Julian that Sonny was good enough to figure it out and he had. Jason could lie, probably should lie all things considered, but he would never betray Sonny that way. Sonny was more than than a business partner. He was his family and Jason was counting on that connection to get one of his oldest friends to do the right thing by the rest of his family. "That's him."

"I knew it! I knew it in my gut! This is it, Jason. We've got him now!" Sonny may not be able to kill him if Jason asked that of him, but he would still damn well make Julian Jerome pay one way or another.

"Sonny," Jason whispered harshly with a look toward the kitchen. He shook his head and Sonny got quiet.

"Sam doesn't know Derek is Julian?" Sonny spoke low so Sam wouldn't overhear.

"I haven't told her yet. We're supposed to meet with him today. He wants to be the one to tell her." Jason had already decided he couldn't do that to Sam though. He couldn't let her walk in there blindsided like that.

"Who gives a rat's ass what that man wants after what he's done? You don't owe him a thing, but you do owe Sam. She deserves to know the truth and she should hear it from you." Sonny didn't understand where Jason's head was at, but he needed to help him get it back on straight before he blew his marriage all to hell, again.

"I know." Jason agreed. "I plan to tell her before we leave."

Sonny was glad to hear his friend wasn't as far gone as he'd started to think.

"You said you want to handle Jerome. What's your plan?" Sonny breathed deep. Handing over control had never been easy for him, even to someone he trusted as much as Jason.

"I'm going to broker a truce between our organizations, get him to agree to a sit down with you so we can work this out." Jason gauged Sonny for his reaction. He wasn't immediately shut down so he took that as a sign Sonny might actually consider it.

"What makes you think he'll agree to it? You said he wants to tell Sam, so that must mean he knows he's Sam's father. That didn't stop him from coming after one of my shipments. This could be a set up." Jason's jaw tightened. Sonny wasn't saying anything he wouldn't say or think if he didn't know better and it had taken a long time for Jason to believe different. They didn't have that kind of time for Sonny to come around. "I'm asking you to trust me, Sonny. I can make this work."

"I do trust you, but what makes you trust him?" If Sonny didn't know better, he might think Julian Jerome had turned his best friend against him. He did know better, though. He just didn't know all the facts and that always left him feeling uneasy when swimming in dangerous waters.

"He's not the man I thought he was and he's not the man you think he is now. He let me go, for Sam, and I believe he'll agree to a truce for Sam too."

Sonny sighed and thought it over for a minute. "I don't like it, but I'm not trying to go to war either. If you can get Julian to agree to a sit down, I'm willing to do my part to keep the peace." After losing Connie, he wasn't ready to risk losing any more loved ones by pushing for a mob war and that included Jason. He'd defend himself if pulled into one, but he wouldn't push for one.

They sat, heads together, for the next several minutes discussing other important points. Sonny promised not to make any offensive moves against the Jeromes until Jason had a chance to work it out. Jason also informed him about the guards Julian had on Sam and Danny. He could tell it stuck in Sonny's craw, but Jason insisted Sam and Danny needed all the protection they could get right now with Franco, Heather Webber and Cesar Faison on the loose and Julian's guards had been keeping them safe for months now.

Sonny relented and said he'd inform his men not to give Julian's men any trouble if they came across them, at least until he knew if Julian intended to negotiate. He also agreed to keep Jason's return under wraps from Carly and everyone else until Jason gave word. Sonny didn't even have to ask why. He knew Jason planned on going after Faison and this would give him the tactical advantage. Sonny wasn't used to feeling so powerless in a situation, but he owed Jason big time for the sacrifices he'd made for him and his family over the years and it was his turn to suck it up and do right by the friend he loved like a brother.

"Are you sure about going into this meeting with no backup?" It was a bigger risk than Sonny was comfortable with after just getting Jason back.

"I'm sure. You know I'd never risk Sam and her mother's safety like that." Jason told him and Sonny nodded reluctantly. He did know that, but he still felt uneasy about it.

"We're meeting at Zacharra's estate, the Jerome estate now I guess. If you don't hear from me in three hours, you can come in and get us." Jason knew that wouldn't be necessary, but he could see it had the intended effect. Sonny relaxed a little hearing it.

"It's good to have you back, man. I'd just like to make sure we keep it that way. Stay sharp out there." Sonny pat Jason over the shoulder as they made their way over to the door.

"Tell Sam I'd like you guys to come by for dinner sometime once you finally come up for air." Sonny teased.

"We'll give you a call sometime next month." Jason replied with a straight face and Sonny's dimples flashed on high. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Traces of humor broke out over Jason's face and Sonny turned to leave, shaking his head, as Jason closed the door behind him.

"Sonny left?" He turned to see Sam walking back in from the kitchen with Danny toddling behind her, fresh sippy cup in hand.

"Yeah, he invited us to dinner over at his place once we..." Jason's eyes lit up seeing Danny walking around so good and Sam smiled as she watched her husband fall a little deeper in love with their son.

"Once we, what?" Sam wondered.

Jason looked back at his wife with a sexy smirk. "Once we come up for air."

Sam bit her bottom lip as his heated gaze warmed her to her core. "So, next month then." She murmured as Jason took her into his arms and pulled her close.

"My thoughts exactly, Mrs. Morgan." He lowered his lips to hers and they shared a soft and simmering kiss that left them breathless.

"Up," A little voice rang out from below and they looked down to find their son staring up at them.

Jason took a deep breath to regain his composure and Sam smiled at him, seeing the promise of later in his eyes before they turned their attention to their son.

Sam reached down to pick Daniel up and Jason got an idea.

"Danny, you want to make a fort?" He waited for Danny's response. Jason had made progress earning his son's trust while playing with him and Sam in the nursery earlier and he wanted to keep it going.

Sam didn't think Danny even knew what a fort was, but she didn't want to burst Jason's bubble. Danny seemed to contemplate the question as well as the man who asked it and finally nodded. Jason went over to the previously abandoned pack n play and turned it on its side so its opening was level to the floor. He then pulled a baby blanket from inside and draped it over half of the opening so Danny could crawl inside the little hideaway and play with the toys as he pleased.

Sam went over to the sofa and sat down with Danny as Jason began stacking a few of the foam blocks inside the structure. Danny looked up at his mother and back at his father and seemed sold on the idea. He left her side on the sofa and crawled inside to play with Jason. Father and son both turned in the direction of a familiar clicking sound to find Sam snapping a picture of them with her phone. "Danny's first fort." She smiled. "I know you missed a lot of his firsts, but you were here for this one, Jason, and you'll be here for all the rest."

Jason nodded and smoothed his hand over Danny's hair before standing. He moved back over to the sofa and took his wife into his arms as she showed him the picture of father and son and one of the many firsts he intended to share with his little boy.

They sat together in contented silence for a moment as they watched Danny play in the overturned pack n play.

"So how did you and Danny fair with lunch?" Jason teased as his eyes lit up with humor.

Sam swatted him playfully on the arm. "Just fine, thank you. Danny loves my broccoli mac and cheese. How did you fair with Sonny?" She pulled her legs up under her and cuddled into his side as Jason adjusted his hold around her.

"He's agreed to a sit down to discuss terms for a truce."

"That's good. That's what you were hoping for." Sam still wasn't sure if she wanted anything to do with her father, but she didn't want him dead. She'd been under the impression her father was lost to her and maybe he still was, but as long as he was alive there was still a chance she could find a real father within him somewhere. It was a very conflicting emotion not to want him dead considering she'd dreamed of putting a bullet in the man who had taken Jason away from her when she thought that man was Faison and now it turned out that her father was responsible too.

Jason could sense the tension in Sam as he held her. "This is all going to work out, Sam. You'll see." Jason was sure of it. It may take time, but it would all work out.

Sam knew she should probably have more faith in all things being possible considering her husband had just been returned to her from the dead, but she still couldn't bring herself to be so sure. Life had taught her the price she paid for something good was the loss of something equally good and Jason's return and the reveal of her father as his captor seemed further proof to her. It helped to hear Jason had faith, though. She smoothed her hand around to his back and held on to him and his faith to get her through.

"Your mom and Spinelli should be here soon." It was almost time for their meeting. Sam thought her mother had a right to be there when she confronted her father and Jason agreed. Spinelli would stay behind to care for Danny since Molly and Rafe were out of town and Sam still didn't trust her little boy with many.

"I can't wait to meet Julian Jerome for the first time and make him answer for what he's done to you and our family." The anger in her voice was evident, but Jason detected hurt there too.

He knew this news would come as another blow, but he wouldn't lie to her. He'd learned from those mistakes too. "Sam, you've already met Julian Jerome."

Sam sat up to look at him. "What?"

"Your father is the one who saved Danny's life." Jason held her gaze as his words sank in.

"Derek Wells is the one who saved Danny. Derek... Derek Wells is Julian Jerome?" Sam was stunned.

"He used me just like Silas." Only somehow his betrayal hurt more than Silas' ever could and now she knew why. He was her father.

"No, Sam. Your father lied to you, but he never used you."

"Why are you defending him, Jason?" Sam was angry. It wasn't directed at Jason, he knew, but he definitely felt the heat of it as her gaze burned into him.

"I'm not. I just don't want you under the impression your father ever tried to use you to gain the upper-hand." It was just the opposite, in fact. "Julian Jerome may be a lot of things, Sam, but I promise you he is not Cody McCall."

Sam's eyes shifted away from him at the mention of the man who raised her. She hadn't thought of Cody in a long time until recently when all this talk of her biological father came up. She'd never voiced her fear to anyone, but Jason could see it just the same. That's how well he knew her. He knew she was scared her real father would be no better than the man who raised her. Cody had taught her the con and used her to make a living then stole from her and left her with nothing when she'd served his purpose.

"We'll see." It was all Sam had to say on the subject. She had a lot of anger building up inside, but she wouldn't put that on Jason. She would save it for the man that earned it.

Jason pulled Sam to him and she went willingly. He kissed her on the top of her head and whispered into her ear. "We'll get through this together."

Sam held onto Jason and sighed as she watched their son continue to play. He'd pulled the blanket of his fort down and was using it to play peek-a-boo with himself. His eyes met hers from across the room and he gave her a toothy grin that brought a smile to her face and to her heart.

"I love you." She said to the man holding her and to their son across the room and the love she felt made her stronger, not only their love for her, but the love she felt for them as well.

Page 15 of 15 Created: 2013-11-22 Updated: 2014-03-02 Words: 6601 Characters: 34960


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

From the moment Sam stepped foot on the estate, her anger only continued to grow. It was a beautiful home, but all she could see was the place her father had held her husband prisoner while allowing everyone to believe he was dead. She hadn't let go of Jason's hand since entering the front door where they'd been greeted by a man her mother had recognized as Juan Santiago.

He was a few years younger than Jason and probably only a year or two younger than herself, Sam wagered. He had dark features with kind eyes, a genial disposition and an easy smile that seemed at odds with his occupation. It was enough to make a person wonder if there might be more to his boss than reputation would have people believe. It made Sam wonder and so had her mother's reaction to him.

Alexis was surprised to find the young boy she once knew in his current choice of vocation which served to only further Sam's curiosity, though little explanation was given or pursued between the two. The level of respect in which Jason regarded the younger man had confused her as well, but she understood more once he'd explained Juan had been the man to pull him from the water and save his life the night he almost died. She had thanked him and, though the words still felt bitter on her tongue, her hostility toward him faded somewhat.

They were led to a large study by another one of her father's employees and each given a set of papers to sign. Everyone except Jason, Alexis noted, at which point Jason explained he'd already signed. Sam gave him a questioning look, but Jason returned it with a pleading one of his own and she let it go. Answers would come soon enough now.

Alexis insisted on reading over the forms and found it odd that a mob organization would have them sign unilateral non-disclosure agreements as if their enterprise was legal. Why not just go with the threat of death like most crime syndicates? Not finding anything unusual in the fine print, she gave her daughter the thumbs up to sign. The nameless employee thanked them and collected the signed documents, promising to return with copies for them. He pointed them to a side table full of refreshments before he left and told them his boss would join them shortly. They'd assumed he meant Julian, but they were wrong.

Ava Jerome strolled into the study with a modest smile on her face, wisely ignoring the death glare coming from her niece.

"Welcome to Jerome manor. I have a few forms I need you to sign." Ava addressed them courteously, but with a professional detachment.

She handed mother and daughter each a folder similar to the one they'd just been handed.

"Your henchman just had us sign these." Alexis huffed. She was an attorney. She knew all about the need for being thorough, but enough already. She wanted answers and her daughter deserved them.

"Not these," Ava explained. "These are above his clearance."

"Above his clearance? I think you need to lay off the spy novels and brush up on your Puzo." Sam snarked.

Ava's only response was a sly grin and a knowing look she shared with Jason which didn't set right with Sam at all. She didn't like the idea of Jason and Ava sharing anything. The woman may have helped Jason escape, but she still didn't trust her. Sam felt Jason's hand tighten around hers and give her a gentle squeeze and she relaxed a little.

"I don't understand." It was Alexis that spoke. Her reading glasses set at the bridge of her nose and she was already several pages deep into the forms they were to sign. "What does the WSB have to do with the Jerome organization?"

One of the forms they were to sign was another NDA, though this one clearly established a connection between the government agency and Julian Jerome as well as all of his employees and business entities under his known name or any assumed aliases. The rest of the package contained several forms regarding security clearances including a questionnaire regularly used by government agencies to grant access to classified information.

"More than you know and I'm afraid that's all I can say on the matter until you have signed those forms." Ave replied as she picked up a saucer from the side table and filled its cup with tea.

She stirred the fresh lemon and honey into her tea and turned to find each of her guests staring at her. "Crumpets anyone?"

"Enough! Mom, let's just sign the damn things so we can get on with this." Sam was not there to play tea party with Auntie Ava.

Alexis sighed and studied the forms again. "As long as we agree not to disclose any of the information revealed to us here today or in the future in regard to Julian Jerome et al, there's nothing here that can hurt us as far as the non-disclosure. But I'm not so sure about all of these questions they have on this security questionnaire."

Ava waved her concern away. "Notice the added clause at the tail end. It waives any and all legal action that could possibly be taken against you for any crimes, foreign or domestic, you may have committed in your past. I would note they make no such promises of future crimes, however, such as stealing cellular devices and hacking secured networks."

Ava's steady gaze let Sam know she knew of her partner's activities, but how could she possibly know he was the one to hack Derek's computer and lift the burner phone from his office?

Alexis had turned to the noted section and began reading. "So it does," She concurred. "Alright, as my daughter said. Let's just sign the damn things and get on with it." 

Once the forms were signed, Ava collected them and nodded to one of the cameras in the corner Sam had noticed when they first entered the room. She watched the double doors as they opened minutes later and Derek Wells, also known to them now as Julian Jerome, appeared.

Sam wasn't sure what she'd expected. Maybe for him to come in dressed more like Sonny now that his true identity as a mob boss was known, but he still looked like Derek to her, the man who saved her son's life and had become a friend or so she thought. His height and build was that of a fit average male, although there was an aura of power and authority in his countenance that demanded attention and proved he was anything other than ordinary.

His face was different from any picture she'd seen due to the reconstructive surgery, but still handsome as ever. He kept his dark brown hair much shorter now, too, but his eyes were the same and it struck Sam in that moment how much they reminded her of her own. Since learning Alexis was her mother, she'd always assumed she'd inherited her brown eyes from her Cassadine lineage. Now, she wasn't so sure and she wasn't sure if that pleased her or not. She didn't want to share any similarities with the heartless man that hurt her family so much and yet she couldn't stop searching his features and gestures for something in common with her father.

Ava watched the group with eager anticipation. It wasn't that she enjoyed watching other people's pain, well not these people at least, but it was natural to be curious how they would react to Derek's arrival and this reaction was nothing like she'd imagined. It was so... lackluster and Ava loathed boring. She was sure Julian would have received at least one slap from his former lover or love child, but nothing. Ever the drama queen, she held dear to the fact it was still early yet; so she was particularly put out when Julian quietly ordered her to excuse them. Reluctant to incur his displeasure, she left the room slowly.

Once she'd exited, Julian spoke again. "I can see from your reaction, you're not surprised to see me."

"True family and _friends_ look out for each other." Sam replied coolly.

"Fair enough." Julian nodded.

"You think you deserve fair after what you've done?" Sam huffed.

"No, but I'm grateful you've given me this chance to explain myself." He sounded so sincere and it was in his eyes too, but Sam didn't want to see it. She was afraid to see it, afraid she might start to trust in it if she did.

"There's nothing you can say that will make me okay with what you've done, so if you think I'm just going to hear you out and agree to forgive and forget you need to think again." Sam wanted answers, but she found herself barely able to restrain her hostility long enough to get them.

"I'm not okay with what I've done either, to be perfectly honest, and I don't think I ever will be. I won't stand here and try to excuse the pain I've caused you and your family, but I will answer for it. I will apologize for it and I will explain the motivations behind it as clearly as I can and hope that somehow you'll find a way to understand why I did what I did even if you're never able to forgive or forget it." Julian's eyes roamed from Sam to Alexis' as he spoke and he realized he'd never seen his daughter's eyes look more like her mother's until that moment and if he read mother and daughter right they were both hurt and mad as hell. He had his work cut out for him.

"Start explaining, Derek, or is it Julian now? I'm sorry. I try to keep up with these things, but I could swear the nameplate I saw on your office door an hour ago still said Derek." Alexis felt like she'd been punched in the gut when Sam told her Derek was Julian. She'd just sat in his office and given him every opportunity to come clean with her and all he'd said was a bunch of nothing with promises of a full explanation soon. Double-talk, she realized, and that made her think of Sonny and that pissed her off because she'd liked Derek. She was mad at him for lying and for hurting her daughter and mad at herself for her terrible taste in men. Julian may not have the dimples, but his charm was every bit as dangerous to her heart as Sonny's and she needed to remember that.

"I prefer Julian when it's safe, but Derek Wells is my cover and I would appreciate it if you all continue to address me as such outside of this room." Julian took a seat with them in one of the chairs as he spoke. Sam was seated across from him on a sofa between her mother and her husband and Julian couldn't help note the formidable united front they made.

Julian sighed. "What I'm about to tell you is highly classified. I spent the last several hours fighting to gain a top level security clearance for the two of you just to be able to explain myself. As of now you all have the highest level clearance issued to non-employees of the W.S.B."

He caught the quick glance Sam shot at Jason. "He received his clearance a few weeks ago, on the 23rd of August." Julian answered and the two men shared a look. Sam wasn't sure what the look was about, but there seemed to be some kind of mutual understanding between them.

"That was the night Connie Falconeri was murdered." Alexis would never forget that night. She'd driven Connie's cousin, Olivia, to check on her, sure that Olivia's concern was unfounded only to be met with two uniformed officers guarding the crime scene with Connie's bloodied corpse still lying just inside the doors.

"It was. It was also the day I learned for the first time I was a father, your father." Julian looked his daughter in the eyes and prayed he might see love for him there one day.

"Fact of biology, qualifying as an actual parent takes a lot more than that." Alexis replied.

"I agree and I hope I get the chance to earn that title some day." Julian sighed.

"So, you've known for nearly two months you're my father and chose to lie to me and my mother about it. Got it, but why did you kidnap my husband and allow his family to believe he was dead?" Sam wasn't interested in what he hoped to have one day or, more to the point, she was, but she wasn't ready to hear it. She needed answers before she could even entertain the possibility of allowing her father into any part of her life.

Julian's eyes searched his daughter's and then finally rested on Alexis as he appealed to her with every bit of sincerity he had. "From the minute you told me the story of how Sam was conceived and I remembered our night together, I wanted nothing more than to tell you who I really am to you and to Sam. I wanted to be able to have an honest relationship with my daughter..." His eyes went to Sam. "And my grandson and the mother of my child, but I fought that urge because I couldn't do that without inviting you all into the danger as well. I knew you had the right to know, but I didn't think I had the right to bring you in to all of this and I still don't. As for Jason, to put it simply, it was part of the job." Julian answered honestly.

"What job?" Sam wasn't ready to confront the other things he'd said. She wasn't sure she believed them and a quick glance at her mother told her she was reluctant to believe his story as well.

"Twenty years ago, I entered negotiations with the World Security Bureau. In exchange for information on several international crime syndicates, they agreed to cover me for any past crimes and provide me with a new identity complete with a new name, new face and new career." Julian confessed.

"That sounds like a deal, not a job." Alexis argued.

"It started out as a deal, but things changed." Julian amended. "In the middle of negotiations, word hit WSB that a DVX operative had gone underground to form a new syndicate. Three of those members of that new syndicate were men I'd intended on turning over so, instead, the higher ups decided it was time for WSB to form a syndicate of its own to bring it down. When Paget, the man posing as Duke Lavery, shot me, Agent Robert Scorpio was ordered to falsify my death records and I was recruited to head a new black ops division for the World Security Bureau." Julian confessed and the room was silent for a solid minute.

"You're telling me the WSB hired a known mob boss to head up one of its divisions? That is ludicrous!" Alexis shook her head.

"Is that true?" It was Sam that asked as she looked from her father to her husband who nodded that it was.

"The WSB agreed to fake my death because I was a valuable asset, but they put me in charge of their new black ops division because I was most qualified. I'm a Dartmouth grad with a good mind for business and an above average IQ." Julian answered. "They also needed someone with a flexible moral compass and the right underworld connections who would be highly motivated to perform and no one possessed all of those things and was in better position at that time than me."

"That explains why the WSB might take a chance on you, but why would a ruthless career criminal agree to work for the law?" Alexis wondered.

"Honest answer? Once the higher ups were sold on the idea, my deal was out the window and I was left with the option of sitting in a prison cell or taking them up on their offer of employment. It didn't take long to decide and then my ego took over. I wanted to be the best and to do that I needed to win and the WSB allowed me the freedom to do it by nearly any means necessary. It felt like the best of both worlds and it wasn't until an incident a few years later that my entire outlook on the job became more about doing the right thing than stroking my ego."

"So, you expect me to believe you're one of the good guys after what you did to Jason?" Sam scoffed and shook her head as Jason's hand found Sam's back and gave it a comforting caress.

"On the contrary the WSB didn't start this division for me to be a good guy. That's what the Frisco Joneses, Robert Scorpios and Anna Devanes are for. My job was to be the best bad guy out there and I am, but I can say none of my organization's actions over the last two decades were done without the full knowledge and backing of the World Security Bureau."

"How do we know any of what you're telling us is true?" Alexis wanted to know.

"Due to my return to Port Charles and history with former agent and current local police commissioner, Anna Devane, WSB intends to bring her into the loop. She'll be authorized to confirm all of this to you." Julian answered to their satisfaction.

"What did kidnapping Jason have to do with your job? Were you after Sonny?" Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing except, she did. Somehow this seemed to fall perfectly in line with just how complicated her life had always been; mob enforcer fiance now husband, the District Attorney was her mother, she was a former con-artist and now her father was... what? Somewhere in the middle? She still didn't know.

"The Corinthos organization was not our target at that time, no. The DVX operative I mentioned that went underground to form a new syndicate in 1990? That was Cesar Faison and I've spent the better part of my career shutting him down at every turn. In '92, when everyone thought Faison died in an explosion off the coast of Venezuela, we knew different. He remained elusive, but we managed to keep him boxed in until '99 when he resurfaced in Switzerland under the alias of Herr Kriegg, a jewel thief and associate of Luke Spencer. Unfortunately, Luke didn't realize Kriegg was Faison and one thing led to another and, in no time, Faison had joined forces with Helena Cassadine." At the mention of Helena, Alexis cursed the woman and Sam reached out and took her mother's hand.

Julian noted the gesture with longing before continuing his story. "Once that happened, Faison was on WSB proper's radar and too hot for us to touch. We were ordered to back off and allow WSB to take front and center. After a failed attempt to murder Luke Spencer and Felicia Jones, Faison was presumed dead and that's what we believed as well until he hit our radar in early 2012. We learned then we had Helena to thank for arranging the explosion on Faison's boat in '99 to help fake his death. So, that brings us to 2012 and how Faison came to be on our radar again and how Jason ended up caught in the crossfire." He looked from Jason to Sam, but it was hard to hold her gaze without the guilt eating at him.

Julian sighed. "This job requires me to lead three lives. There's Derek Wells, the media mogul. That's my cover to the world at large. It opens doors and explains excessive travel. Then there's Julian Jerome, the man who runs a black ops division of the WSB disguised as an international crime syndicate. I spent years establishing our division's power-base in Europe as a nameless, faceless bad guy. I took on missions of questionable morals in order to earn a stellar reputation in the international underworld and it paid off. When we go in, we don't just take out one or two criminals. We take down their entire organizations and we do that by hitting them where they live. We strike their legitimate holdings and their money laundering operations. Once they have no way to legally explain all their spending, they're sitting ducks."

"They may have millions, but they have no way of using it without tipping their hand." Alexis concluded and Julian nodded. "Precisely."

Alexis actually looked impressed and then horrified when she considered Sonny and the recent hit he took on one of his coffee shipments, one of his _legitimate holdings,_ and recalled how Julian just stated Sonny wasn't his target at that time, but was he now?

"Why nameless and faceless? Julian Jerome may have been dead to the world, but why not use Derek Wells or another identity?" It was easy enough to create a new identity and trash it once you were done and Sam should know. She'd spent the better part of her youth living that way.

"It created an air of mystery at first which was needed to draw the flies to the honey. Curiosity eventually gets the better of most. It's human nature. It also served to help us maintain our anonymity as a division of the WSB. Later, it also worked to instill fear in those who might seek retaliation." Julian explained and Jason nodded. It was smart and he could appreciate that.

"We keep a close watch on the market of underworld finance and that's how Faison tripped our radar. He approached some Russian heavy hitters with a lucrative venture. He offered them a new chance at a foothold in Port Charles." Sam felt Jason tense next to her at the mention of Russians and Julian answered the question in Sam's eyes before she could ask. "These are the same men who were partnered with Andre Karpov. They're the ones his attorney, Sasha, reported to. They're also responsible for her murder. Faison discovered their history with Port Charles and used their humility at being run out of town to his advantage."

"Are you saying the Russians are coming back to Port Charles?" Sam reached for Jason's hand. Jason's son, Jake, almost died the last time the Russians were in town and all she could think about in that moment was their son, Danny, and exploding road houses.

"That is what we're here to prevent and I promise you, Sam, we are very good at our jobs." Julian assured her.

"Really? You said yourself it took you twenty years to get Faison!" At Sam's comment Julian shared a look with her husband and this time Sam refused to let it go. "What? What aren't you telling me?"

She looked at Jason and he started to speak, but Julian answered instead. He owed Sam the whole truth and he intended to tell it, not put it off on his son-in-law. "We're getting to that, but there are a few things you need to know before we do. When Faison made moves last year to bring his racket back to Port Charles, the WSB needed our division to follow. They also needed a name that could convince the Russians why they should trust me to help carry out their plans for Port Charles once Faison was captured. That was the original plan, you see, to capture Faison and take him out of the running while keeping the Russians on the hook so we could take them out too, once and for all."

"That's why the name Julian Jerome suddenly popped up again. You've been leaking it to Sonny intentionally, using his reputation to put the Jerome organization back on the map in Port Charles." Alexis surmised.

Julian's eyes actually twinkled with admiration. She was not only beautiful. She had a brilliant mind, too. She would definitely keep him on his toes and he relished the challenge.

"You said Sonny wasn't your target at the time. What about now?" Alexis did her best to ignore the appreciative look in Julian's eyes and focus, though she couldn't help ask herself why her children's fathers were always gunning for one another.

"We aren't actually out to takeover his business, anymore. Are we Jason?" He looked at Jason as he qualified that and Sam and Alexis followed his gaze.

"No." Jason answered and Julian knew then Jason had spoken to Sonny, as they'd discussed, and was favorable to a truce.

"So, you _didn't_ have anything to do with one of Sonny's freighter's being blown to bits in the harbor recently?" Alexis challenged.

"No, that was us, but I assure you it was not an attempt to move in on Corinthos. It was a necessary show of force to win over the international partners, so we had to make it look that way to both Sonny and the Russians for them to buy it. We took every precaution to ensure no one was harmed." Julian admitted.

Alexis was at a loss with how to respond to that so she decided to move things along. "Get back to the original plan. You said the original plan was to capture Faison and take him out of the running so you could take down the Russians. Faison _was_ captured, so was Jason just fallout from your brilliant plan?" Alexis demanded.

Julian's eyes fell on the way Sam's hand held her mother's. Their love and trust of one another was plain to see and he wanted to share in that with them, to be with the mother of his child and to be a father and grandfather to Sam and Danny. But would they want anything to do with him by the time this meeting was done? Maybe it would be for the best if they didn't. They would certainly be safer.

"Julian," Sam broke him from his thoughts.

"Sorry." He apologized. "The original plan was to capture Faison before he could make a move on Sonny, but he gave us the slip. At the time, we had no idea how he'd eluded us and by the time we would find out, it would be too late to undo a lot of the damage. We couldn't locate Faison, but we knew he would eventually show in Port Charles so we established a low-key presence and we watched and we waited." Julian sighed.

"We knew Faison would make a play on Corinthos, but we failed to anticipate him going through Sonny's children to do it. It was a critical error on my part that could have cost her life." Julian spoke to Alexis directly. "I'm sorry, Alexis. I should have seen it coming and I just... I..." Julian lost his voice to emotion.

Alexis and Sam shared a mutual look of confusion and concern. It was obvious whatever Julian had to tell them, he held himself responsible and they wondered if they would too.

Julian shook it off. What almost happened to that young girl still stuck with him and to know now that young woman was his daughter's little sister made it even worse. "Faison was the man working with Joe Scully Junior and we never saw it coming. We wouldn't learn this until much later, but Faison disguised himself as Duke Lavery and, together, they threatened Sonny's accountant to have him transfer Sonny's assets into Kristina's name so that Joe's son, Trey, could marry her and acquire those assets. Scully's plan was to kill Kristina so his son would inherit the money, but Faison's plan was to kill all three of them and assume Joe Scully's identity long enough to steal it for himself. It would have had a crippling effect on Sonny's organization, creating a new market for the Russian mafia had the deal not been botched. We were able to help that much at least, but it wasn't in time to save Kristina from what must have been a horrific experience."

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they processed everything they had been told.

"I'm sorry, Alexis. I swear the second we suspected Kristina was the target, we did everything we could to save her. But I didn't catch on quick enough." Something in Julian's eyes made her believe him. He seemed tortured by it and that made her think maybe there was something good in him worth getting to know after all.

Alexis just nodded in response, unable to reconcile all the knowledge and feelings inside.

"When _did_ you realize Faison was in Port Charles posing as Duke Lavery?" Sam said.

"We were working overtime to put the pieces together, but it wasn't until we intercepted an order from Faison for Scully to take out Sonny's accountant, Bernie Abrams, that we made the connection between the two. We sent men to ambush the hit, but we weren't at full operation here in Port Charles at that point. By the time Juan and Vincent tracked Scully down, Mr. Abrams was bleeding out and unconscious and Jason was shot and in the water." Sam grabbed Jason's hand at hearing that, needing the physical reassurance of him still next to her.

"Vincent, Anna Devane questioned Sonny about a man named Vincent something or other who ended up floating in the harbor." Alexis wanted to believe Sonny and Shawn had nothing to do with that man's death, but a part of her still wondered.

Julian returned his eyes to Alexis. "I ran into Vince on Pier 52 after Sonny's men let him go. I debriefed him and then I shot him at point blank range and Ava kicked his sorry ass into the harbor."

"Oh my God," Alexis murmured.

"Why?" Sam said, surprising her father because unlike her mother, Sam appeared unfazed by his admission.

"When we failed to learn of Faison's plan to use Bernie and Kristina against Sonny, I began to suspect a leak in our organization. We set up a few tests and Vince failed. We discovered he'd been turned by Faison. Vincent was the one who stole the WSB technology Faison used to disguise himself as Duke and when we turned over the evidence of his treason, WSB authorized his termination." Julian explained.

He looked into his daughter's eyes, wanting her to understand his lack of regard for the life he'd taken. "That man stood by as your husband fought to keep his head above water with a gunshot in his back and ordered Juan to let Jason drown just as his new boss, Faison, intended. Juan ignored Vince, fortunately, and jumped in after him. He pulled Jason out and insisted they call me to see how to proceed."

"What happened next? Why keep Jason away from his family?" Sam insisted.

She didn't seem too broken up over him killing the man who wanted her husband dead, Julian noted. A small part of him wanted to take that as a sign that maybe his daughter didn't think of him as a monster after all, but the larger part had to wonder if the truth was Sam just didn't care enough about her newly found father to waste an emotion on him one way or another. Worse, maybe she would be no more broken up over his death for what he'd done to her family.

He continued his explanation, intent on being forthright with her from now on. "Vince checked Bernie while Juan called me. Bernie was still alive, but unconscious, and the cell phone in his hand showed he'd made a recent call to Sonny whom we figured was probably on his way. Our intel at the time also reported local authorities had already been dispatched to the scene. My team didn't have time to save them both and make a clean exit, so I told them to leave the accountant and focus on the higher valued asset."

Sam wanted to lash out at his callousness when the man in front of her described her husband as nothing more than an asset, but she denied that impulse and considered his other words instead. She needed to put the pieces of the puzzle together for her own peace of mind and he was giving her the answers to do that if she could only control her emotions long enough to hear him out. It made sense now why Bernie had told Sonny that Jason had fallen into the harbor, but never mentioned the men who'd pulled him out. He must have lost so much blood by that point that he'd been falling in and out of consciousness and missed it.

Julian's next words regained her focus. "We got Jason the medical attention he needed, but Faison was still at large and so were his Russian partners. Even when Faison was captured, it was still too dangerous to put Jason back out there. We had confirmation the Russians put a contract out on him which they believed Faison carried out. They would have issued another hit had we released him and Jason was still too vulnerable in the condition he was in to defend himself. Broadcasting he was alive would have also put targets on you and your son and everyone Jason cares about. The Russians wouldn't have hesitated to use his family to lure him out of hiding or to exact revenge against him if they believed for a second he was still alive. Kristina Davis was almost killed, because I wasn't proactive enough. I wasn't about to risk a repeat performance. Jason didn't agree with keeping you in the dark, but I felt I was doing what was best, what was safest for everyone involved. My desire to keep you all safe, at any cost, only grew once I learned you were my daughter. I hated lying and I hated what my decision was costing you and your family, but I needed to keep you safe until I could get the situation under control and we worked overtime to see that happen."

"Still," Julian confessed upon further consideration. "I have to admit there were benefits to keeping Jason. It would have been easier to take down Corinthos if needed and we were also able to make use of Jason's expert tactical mind. His advice has become invaluable to me both professionally and personally."

Julian admitted that in an attempt to be completely honest and also as a compliment toward his son-in-law, but he could see his words weren't exactly appreciated by his daughter. He sighed in frustration, unaccustomed with feeling so inept. He was having a hard time talking business with his daughter when that business was her family. His gaze fell on Alexis, wishing she could somehow make him a better parent with the wave of a magic wand or a few choice words of wisdom. But she remained silent, no wand in sight.

The imploring look in Julian's eyes as he stared at her and everything she'd learned, it all became too much for Alexis and she stood to walk it off. Sam sat in her spot on the sofa next to Jason with worry in her eyes for her mother.

Alexis turned back, as if sensing her firstborn's distress, and gave Sam a reassuring smile. "I think I'm just going to have some tea now." She went to pour and the tea pot began to shake in her hands.

"Mom..." Sam stood, but Julian was already at her mother's side. "Let me." He insisted and the gentleness he showed her mother as he helped her, reminded Sam of the way Jason regarded her.

She looked back at Jason. Jason had told her she didn't know everything and when she did it might change things for her. He said it had for him. She hadn't been able to understand how that could even begin to be true, but she was starting to now.

Sam moved from the sofa to stretch and Jason stood with her as her father tended to her mother on the other side of the room.

Jason felt Sam's tension return full force when Julian mentioned the benefits to keeping him; so he ran his hands down her arms until their hands held and she entwined their fingers and brought them up to pull him closer and into a hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Better with you by my side." Sam told him. "How about you?"

"Fine." Jason replied and Sam rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see. He was always fine. "It's not hard being back here?"

"It's better with you by my side." That brought a slight smile to her face, but she knew he was just trying to make it easier on her.

"Jason, what do you really think about Julian?" Sam hadn't asked his thoughts and Jason rarely shared his opinions without invitation. It was actually very polite and she admired that about him, but it could also be infuriating at times too when she really wanted to know what he was thinking.

"I think it's what you think about him that really matters." Jason answered.

"I know, but I trust your instincts and I would like to hear your thoughts." Sam explained.

Jason knew deep down Sam always wanted a good relationship with her biological parents, especially after the experiences she'd had with her adoptive parents. He didn't want her to live with the same regrets he had about his own father. "I believe he does his job the best way he knows how while hurting as few as possible. I know what it's like to walk that line." Jason shrugged and Sam pulled back to look up at him.

She didn't speak which was unusual for her. She just stared into her husband's eyes and loved him even more. He was making it okay for her to love her father even after the man had held him prisoner for a year.

"I'm very sorry for lying to you." Julian apologized.

"Not as sorry as you will be if you ever hurt anyone I care about again!" Alexis threatened and he didn't realize it, but he'd just met Natasha Cassadine.

"I have no intentions of hurting you or anyone you care about again. Quite the opposite, in fact." Julian swore.

"Does that include Sonny?" Alexis tested.

"You care about _him_?" Julian teased.

"He is the father of my child." Alexis answered without really thinking her usual response through.

"So am I. Does that mean you care about me too?" Julian smiled and Alexis sipped her tea to hide just how flustered it made her to hear him speak that way.

"Do you think we could start over? I'm Julian... Jerome." He held his hand out to her.

Alexis eyed it skeptically. "Answer my question first."

Julian rolled his eyes as he stood there with his hand left hanging. "Yes, that includes Sonny. I'm prepared to offer him a deal."

"As his attorney, all deals will need to go through me first." Alexis told him.

"I'll be sure to have you there when we discuss it." Julian complied and held his hand up a little higher for her.

Alexis took his hand finally to shake. "Alexis... Davis."

"Nice to see you again, Alex." He teased, both recalling how he'd thought her name was Alex when they first met, then brought his hand up to place a kiss on hers.

Alexis scoffed and rolled her eyes, but not before Julian noticed her blush. "Don't get ahead of yourself." She told him and pulled her hand away. "You still have a long way to go if you want a place in my life or my daughter's."

"Our daughter," Julian corrected and smiled bright at the thought of it. "She's amazing, Alexis, and Danny... I never knew it was possible to love anyone so much so soon. But I'd do anything for that little boy or Sam."

"I'd say you did a lot already." Alexis replied. He'd saved Danny's life, but he'd also caused her daughter immeasurable pain.

A serious look crossed his features as he considered his actions over the last year and nodded.

"Sometimes innocent people get hurt in this business. You don't get used to it and it never becomes acceptable. It's something that stays with you, but it's part of the job. You just do your best to save as many as you can and do as little damage as possible." Julian replied and, as an attorney who'd worked both sides of the courtroom, Alexis found she could relate to that and him more than she'd ever expected. The feeling unnerved her and left her speechless.

Sam watched her mother and father interact with one another from across the room and realized there was still a spark of something between them, even after all this time, and she wondered if her mother would ever allow herself to pursue it.

Alexis reclaimed her seat next to Sam, preferring to put some distance between herself and the feelings their private conversation evoked, as Julian sat across from the three again as well. He'd answered for his actions and explained his motivations, but there was one thing he'd promised at the beginning of their conversation he had yet to do.

"I am so sorry, Sam, for every second of pain my actions caused you and your family. It was too late to take back what I'd done and too soon to reveal it, but, when I learned Jason's son was sick, I did what I could to help. I arranged for Jason to be tested as a donor. He was a match, but the infection in his bloodstream at the time prevented him from donating until he'd healed."

"That's the real reason you volunteered as a donor." Alexis realized.

"I wasn't lying, completely. I did feel guilty about bumping Danny's story from page one, but I felt even worse about keeping Jason from his child when he needed him." Julian admitted.

Running that story about his niece's true paternity instead of the donor drive announcement for Daniel Morgan had been a necessary evil in his fight to keep ELQ out of the hands of the enemy and thereby saving the community at large as well as the immediate safety of Jason and his family. A corporation headquartered in Port Charles with international ties made for a great choice as the Russian mafia's new front. It would have given them a decided advantage in their attempts to infiltrate the community and the fact that the business was owned by the family of the man that had run them out of town the first time gave them ample reason to make ELQ International their prime target.

"Infection?" Sam turned to Jason in question.

"I'm fine." Jason reassured her, but she wasn't convinced.

"What happened?" Sam looked to her father for answers.

Julian issued Jason an apologetic look before continuing. "Our surgical team repaired the damage caused by Faison's bullet, but Jason developed a systemic infection that traveled to his bloodstream. It required the treatment of a specialist."

"Silas," Sam guessed.

"He owed us one." Julian answered cryptically. "And since he specializes in hematology as well as oncology, he was brought in to consult then retained as Jason's primary physician."

"You said Jason was sick after the surgery, but that was a year ago. Have you been sick all this time?" Sam turned back to Jason again.

"No, and I'm fine now." Jason insisted.

Sam wanted to believe him, but she knew how stubborn Jason was when it came to his health. She turned to her father with concern in her eyes and Julian felt helpless not to answer even though he believed it was a discussion best left between husband and wife. Fortunately, an interruption prevented him from being pulled in the middle.

"Julian," All melodramatic pretense had been dropped as Ava addressed her brother and the change in her took Sam and Alexis by surprise.

Julian excused himself and made his way over to his sister as the two began speaking in lowered voices. Ava's voice rose at the end right before Julian turned from her in obvious disagreement.

"My sincere apologies ladies. Jason, may I have a word?" Jason stood, but stopped short of following him away from Sam. He had no intentions of keeping anything from his wife ever again, but Sam was the first to voice her objection.

"If we're going to have any chance at all, you need to stop with the secrets." Sam told Julian.

"This is business." Julian explained.

"If you're involving my husband in your business, you're making it personal for me." Sam answered.

Julian sighed with a wayward glance back to Ava which told her, her big brother was about to fold.

"This is not 'Bring your daughter to work' day, Julian. We have over two dozen lives at stake right now; agents, civilians... Not to mention..." Ava persisted.

"I know what we stand to lose Ava." Julian silenced her with a hard glare before his eyes softened on Sam again. "I also know what my daughter stands to lose if Jason accepts my offer. She has clearance now and she has a right to know."

Ava acquiesced with a roll of her eyes and shake of her head. There wasn't time to argue, especially when she wouldn't win. She knew her brother well enough to recognize when he'd dug his heels in.

"You asked what it was Jason and I hadn't shared with you yet." Julian reminded Sam and she nodded. "I learned early this morning Cesar Faison escaped." He watched as Sam's hand blindly reached for her husband's and rushed to reassure her. "I sent my best team to track him."

"They found him?" Jason felt the adrenaline within surge at the prospect.

"They have." Julian confirmed and Sam looked up at Jason in concern as his hand absently tightened on hers until she squeezed back and he remembered she was there. "Marcus just reported in with an update. An associate of Faison's by the name of Liesl Obrecht posed as Anna Devane so that she could take him into custody and help him escape. Taggert's team tracked them down to Cassadine Island."

"Nothing good ever happens on that island." Alexis swore under her breath and wondered if she'd heard right. Former PCPD Detective, Marcus Taggert, was working for Julian now? Considering his history and what she'd just learned of Julian's operation, she couldn't say it surprised her. Taggert had spent his time on the police force of Port Charles with a dogged determination to put Sonny Corinthos, alleged boss of the biggest organized crime syndicate on the Eastern Seaboard, behind bars or worse.

"They'd already left," Julian continued. "But they caught up with another former associate of his instead, Jerry Jacks."

"Jerry? Even if he survived the explosion last year, shouldn't he be dead of radiation poisoning by now?" Alexis pointed out.

"Soon, I'm told, unless the doctor he's held hostage the last year manages to find the cure." Julian informed.

"With any luck that doctor is a moron." Alexis grumbled.

"It's Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake."

"What?" "Oh my God," and deadly silence were his only responses.

His eyes rested on Jason. "Jerry says she's alive. Her death was staged so Faison could win Anna over when he returned her safe and sound. When Faison was captured, the doctor he had working on the cure was forced into hiding so Jerry made use of Robin."

"Where is she? Where's Faison?" That's all Jason wanted to know. She risked her life saving his and until that minute he'd believed she died for him. He needed Faison dead and he needed the people he loved safe.

"That's what Ava just came in to confirm. We sent in an operative to determine if the story Jerry gave Marcus is true."

"Doubtful," Alexis scoffed and Julian began to wonder about the hostility she held toward the man. It sounded as if some personal history had been shared there between the two. He bristled at the thought of it.

"Ordinarily, I would agree. But this time we have his life to hold over him as leverage. He claims Nikolas Cassadine found Robin while searching for his friend's missing baby. Obrecht kidnapped her grandchild to show him off to Faison. He's his grandson. Jerry managed to gain the upper-hand and the three, along with the infant, were taken back to Port Charles as hostages by Obrecht and Faison so Robin could engineer another dose of the cure using the first patient's blood. It seems Luke Spencer managed to score the original dose intended for Jerry. Our man made visual. Faison is on Spoon Island and so is Robin."

"When do we go in?" Jason stated his intent before Julian could ask and had his body not been so wracked with tension he would have felt Sam stiffen next to him at his response.

"There's a catch." Ava warned. "WSB has reported Anna and Robert MIA. Jerry revealed they were captured during pursuit of Faison and are being held on Cassadine Island as leverage for Dr. Scorpio to complete her task."

"Simultaneous strike," Jason proposed and Julian agreed. "We'll position ourselves on Spoon Island and the second Taggert has Anna and Robert, we'll move on Faison and get Robin and the other hostages to safety."

"Marcus says their side should be good to go in three. They want to hit during the next guard rotation." Ava added.

Jason nodded and finally looked to Sam. He realized she'd been quiet and was no longer holding his hand. He searched her eyes waiting for her to respond, but she never did.

"Excuse me, please. Alexis, Sam I wish we had more time to discuss things further, but maybe this is for the best. I'm sure you both need time to process. I am not a patient man by nature, but I promise not to push... too much." He half-smiled and hoped, soon, they might all have something to really smile about.

Julian noted the time. "Ava and I have a conference with Marcus in five. Jason, would you mind joining us in ten?"

Jason nodded and watched for a brief moment as Julian and Ava made their exit before turning back to his wife and her mother.

He could see Alexis fighting to hold her tongue almost literally, the impulse to respond was so intense, but she wasn't the only one biting her tongue. Sam remained silent as well and that was what worried him.

Page 23 of 23 Created: 2014-02-04 Updated: 2014-03-03 Words: 8491 Characters: 46384


End file.
